Intermolecular addition reactions electron transfer-sensitized

These intramolecular addition reactions are remarkable in that they have no intermolecular counterpart. In fact, A/,W-dialky-lamides and tetraalkyl ureas fail to quench styrene fluorescence. However, photoaddition of some 1,1-diarylethylenes and tetra-methylurea has been reported. The intramolecular reactions are proposed to occur via weakly bound nonfluorescent singlet exciplex intermediates, which undergo a-C-H transfer to yield the biradical precursors of the observed products. A triplet mechanism was excluded based on the failure of sensitization by xanthone or quenching by 1,3-pentadiene. The involvement of charge transfer is consistent with the requirement of polar solvents for these reactions. The quantum yields for adduct formation from 19 and 25 are much higher than those of their p-methoxy derivatives, in which the styrene is a much weaker electron acceptor. ... 

Related alkylation reactions involving electron-transfer have also been observed using silyl amines (including Et2NCH2SiMe3) and silyl amides. Photolysis of these types of compound in the presence of conjugated cyclohexenones and the sensitizer 9,10-dicyanoanthracene (DCA) can lead to carbon-carbon bond formation in modest to very good yields. Electron-transfer forms a-amino radical cations, which fragment to form nucleophilic carbon-centered radicals, and examples of intermolecular- ° and intramolecular (Scheme 7) addition reactions have been documented (see also the section Amines and Alcohols in this chapter). 

This reaction pathway is usually favoured when an aromatic moiety and an alkene bear electron-withdrawing and electron-donating substituents, respectively (or vice versa). This addition involves a charge transfer and the course of the reaction is sensitive to the solvent polarity. Such a mechanism may resemble that of [2 + 2] photocycloaddition of alkenes to aji-unsaturated carbonyl compounds (Section 6.3.2). Scheme 6.81 shows examples of two intermolecular processes and one intramolecular [2 + 2] photocycloaddition reaction (a) crotononitrile (196) is added to anisole (197) to yield several stereoisomers of 198 in 38% chemical yield and with high regioselectivity, which is linked to bond polarization in the exciplex 818 (b) hexafluorobenzene (199) reacts with 1-ethynylbenzene (200) to form the bicyclo[4.2.0]octa-2,4,7-triene 201 in 86% yield 819 and (c) irradiation of 202 in methanol leads to the single photoproduct 203. 820... 

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