Intramolecular -Photocycloaddition Approach

The conformation is favored due to minimized 1,3-allylic strain between the hydrogen atom at C-4 and the terminal c/s-hydrogen atom of the double bond. 

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The Dauben-Walker approach has yielded the smallest and most strained fenestrane known to date Following the intramolecular Wadsworth-Enunons cyclization of 443 which also epimerizes the butenyl sidechain to the more stable exo configuration, intramolecular photocycloaddition was smoothly accomplished to provide 444. Wolff-ELishner reduction of this ketone afforded the Cj-symmetric hydrocarbon 445. Application of the photochemical Wolff rearrangement to a-diazo ketone 446 p,ve 447. 

Systematic study on the diastereofacial selectivity in the intramolecular photocycloaddition of alkenes to chiral dioxinones was recently reported by Haddad and coworkers129 on compounds of type 298. Preferred pyramidalization in the direction of the less exposed side (the axial methyl at the acetal center) described in structure 298b, and first bond formation at this position (found to be the case in dioxinones 143 and 146, Scheme 31), are essential features for obtaining selective photocycloadditions of alkenes to chiral dioxinones from this side, leading to the kinetically favored products. In such cases the preferred approach is not necessarily from the more exposed side (Figure 6). 

An elegant application of this photocycloaddition in the field of triquinane synthesis has been reported by Reddy and Rawal [160]. The initially formed oxetane 163, formed from the Diels-Alder adduct 162, is easily cleaved reductively (by use of LiDBB = lithium di-/er -butyl-biphenylide) to give 164. This approach was also used for the construction of structurally diverse di- and (propellane-type as well as linear or angular anellated) triquinanes [161]. The classic linear triquinane hirsutene is also available via this route [162]. Star-like molecules like the tiene 167 are available via a sequence of intramolecular photocycloaddition (from the 1,3-cyclohexadiene/acylallene adduct 165) and oxetane (166) ring-opening (Sch. 58) [163]. Further examples of intramolecular... 

A number of model esters related to lac resin have been prepared. These esters have the basic cedrane skeleton (149) or the C-2 epimeric structure. In an approach to the synthesis of cedrene (152), the intramolecular photocycloaddition of the dienone (150) was carried out at low temperature. A major tricyclic compound (151) was obtained and its structure was verified by X-ray analysis of its anisylidene derivative. Further work is required to bring about the rearrangement of a derivative of (151) to give cedrene. Further details on the hydroxylation (with O3) and chlorination (with PhICl2) of cedrol, patchoulol, and their derivatives have been presented. The results of this study are in keeping with those obtained previously. 

An approach to the synthesis of homosecoprismanes has also been developed using intramolecular photocycloaddition reactions of the enediones (252) and (253). The irradiation of these in benzene affords the cycloadducts (254) and (255), respectively in 80-90% yield. ... 

This approach has been used, for example, to find whether the intramolecular photocycloaddition reaction of the triplet excited cyclopropyl-substituted 4-(buteny-loxy)acetophenone 220 proceeds via the 1,4-biradical 221 (Scheme 6.87).827 This presumption was confirmed by identifying the three rearrangement cyclization products 222 224. Because the rate constant of the cyclopropylcarbinyl radical opening to the allylcarbinyl radical is known to be 7 x 107 s 1,828 it was suggested that the rate constant for the formation of the (not observed) or// o-photocycloaddition adduct (225) must be less than 3 x 106s This technique comparing the rate constants of two parallel processes, of which one is known is often referred to as a kinetic (or radical) clock 29... 

A six-step synthetic approach to the tetracyclic skeleton of neurotrophic sesquiterpene merrilactone A, using intramolecular photocycloaddition to form the oxetane ring, was reported.902 Irradiation of a degassed acetonitrile solution of 262 gave the product 263 (Scheme 6.108) in a very high yield (93%). This reaction creates three stereocentres in two new rings, forming an oxa[3.3.3]propellane framework. 

Although the [2 + 2] photocycloaddition is preferably prevented in the synthesis of PAHs, it has been proven to be a very feasible approach in the selective synthesis of syn-[2.2]cyclophanes [86,87]. Topological reaction control in solution has been achieved for a multistep intramolecular [2 + 2] cycloaddition reaction in the photochemical formation of [n]-ladderanes from pseudo-gem-bis(polyene) substituted [2.2]paracyclophanes [88]. The probably most well-known example of an intramolecular photocycloaddition process is one of the... 

The unstable cycloadducts (24) and (25) are obtained from the photolysis of the enone ethers (26).A similar approach has been reported by Barker and Pattenden in their study of the photocyclization of enol acetates. Thus the intramolecular photocycloaddition affords the adducts (27) from the mixture of enol acetates derived from (28). An analogous regioselective cycloaddition is encountered in the irradiation of the enol acetates derived from (29) to afford the adduct (30). 

The intramolecular photocycloaddition of prochiral 2-quinolone 144 (Schane 1.38) was examined in the presence of chiral templates 143a,b. The amide group of chiral templates forms dual hydrogen bonds with the quinolone moiety of 144, with the bulky tetrahydronaphthalene moiety preventing the approach of olefinic double bond from the... 

In this case, an intramolecular photocycloaddition between the phenyl ring and the pendant double bond in 51 led to tetracyclic intermediate 52, which has one bond in excess of what is needed for quadrone. This excess bond is a cyclopropane bond, which may be severed in the course of a thermal 1,5-hydrogen shift, to give compound 53. Model studies revealed that it is possible to introduce into 53 the decoration needed to obtain quadrone [171]. What should be emphasized here is that intermediate 52 is more complex than the quadrone skeleton in 54. However, the ease of formation of intermediate 52 and the subsequent structural correction in only a single operation render this approach to quadrone via an overbred skeleton highly attractive. Scheme 6.50 provides a further example from studies aimed at quadrone [172, 173]. 

Mechanistic evidence indicates 450,451> that the triplet enone first approaches the olefinic partner to form an exciplex. The next step consists in the formation of one of the new C—C bonds to give a 1,4-diradical, which is now the immediate precursor of the cyclobutane. Both exciplex and 1,4-diradical can decay resp. disproportionate to afford ground state enone and alkene. Eventually oxetane formation, i.e. addition of the carbonyl group of the enone to an olefin is also observed452. Although at first view the photocycloaddition of an enone to an alkene would be expected to afford a variety of structurally related products, the knowledge of the influence of substituents on the stereochemical outcome of the reaction allows the selective synthesis of the desired annelation product in inter-molecular reactions 453,454a b). As for intramolecular reactions, the substituent effects are made up by structural limitations 449). 

Only a trace of the corresponding cubane 167 is formed on irradiation of the tricy-clooctadiene 168 in pentane at ambient temperatures using a 125-watt mercury arc lamp. The principal product 169 is the result of rearrangement within a biradical intermediate79. A review of the synthetic approaches to cubane and to its reactions has been published77. The diene 170 photochemically converts on irradiation in pentane solution at 254 nm to yield a photostationary mixture of the cubane 171, the starting material 170 and the isomeric diene 17280. Other additions of this type have been used for synthesis of the propellaprismane 173, essentially a heavily substituted cubane, by the intramolecular (2 + 2)-photocycloaddition of the diene 17481. 

Both target compounds discussed in this review, kelsoene (1) and preussin (2), provide a fascinating playground for synthetic organic chemists. The construction of the cyclobutane in kelsoene limits the number of methods and invites the application of photochemical reactions as key steps. Indeed, three out of five completed syntheses are based on an intermolecular enone [2+2]-photocycloaddition and one—our own—is based on an intramolecular Cu-catalyzed [2+2]-photocycloaddition. A unique approach is based on a homo-Favorskii rearrangement as the key step. Contrary to that, the pyrrolidine core of preussin offers a plentitude of synthetic alternatives which is reflected by the large number of syntheses completed to date. The photochemical pathway to preussin has remained unique as it is the only route which does not retrosynthetically disconnect the five-membered heterocycle. The photochemical key step is employed for a stereo- and regioselective carbo-hydroxylation of a dihydropyrrole precursor. 

Synthetic applications of these photocycloadditions to aromatic compounds are sometimes hampered by low chemical yields and poor selectivity in the photoreactions. However, a number of elegant syntheses of tricyclic sesquiterpenes have been hased on intramolecular 1,3-phutocycloadditions ie.g. 3. SI), and these represent a completely new approach to the preparation of such systems. 

One of the first examples of high asymmetric induction in the intramolecular [2 + 2] photocycloaddition in which the chiral center located at the side chain found in Winkler and coworkers113 approach to the synthesis of (—)-histrionicotoxin alkaloid 240. Irradiation of 237 is the key step in the synthetic strategy. The isomer 238 was formed in... 

Control over the absolute configuration in cyclohexenone photocycloadditions has been achieved by auxiliary-induced diastereoselectivity. In particular, esters related to compound 26, which are derived from a chiral alcohol but not from methanol, lend themselves as potential precursors, from which the chiral auxiliary can be effectively cleaved [42, 43]. In a recent study, the use of additives was advertised to increase the diastereomeric excess in these reactions [44], An intriguing auxiliary-induced approach was presented by Piva et al., who employed chiral 13-hydroxy-carboxylic adds as tethers to control both the regioselectivity and the diastereoselectivity of intramolecular [2 + 2]-photocycloaddition reactions [45]. In Scheme 6.14 the reaction of the (S)-mandelic acid derived substrate 38 is depicted, which led with very good stereocontrol almost exclusively to product 39a, with the other diastereoisomer 39b being formed only in minor quantities (39a/39b = 96/4). Other acids, such as (S)-lactic acid, performed equally well. The chiral tether could be cleaved under basic conditions to afford enantiomerically pure cydobutane lactones in good yields. 

The crossed intramolecular [2 + 2]-photocycloaddition of allenes to a, 3-unsat-urated y-lactones has been extensively studied by Hiemstra et al. in an approach to racemic solanoedepin A (87). The sensitized irradiation of butenolide 85 in a 9 1 mixture of benzene and acetone, for example, led selectively to the strained photocycloadduct 86 (Scheme 6.31) [89]. The facial diastereoselectivity is determined by the stereogenic center, to which the allene is attached. The carbon atom in exposition to the carbonyl carbon atom is attacked from its re face, forming a bond to the tertiary allene carbon atom, while the P-carbon atom is being connected to the internal allene carbon atom by a si face attack. The method allows facial diaster-eocontrol over three contiguous stereogenic centers in the bicyclo[2.1.1]heptane part of the natural product. 

Mattay et al. employed asymmetric copper(I)-catalyzed intramolecular [2 + 2]-photocycloaddition reactions in a synthetic approach to (+)- and (— )-grandisol [56]. Racemic dienol 33 was irradiated in the presence of CuOTf and a chiral ligand to yield mainly cyclobutanes 34 and ent-34 as a mixture of enantiomers. Other 1,6-dienes were also employed. A number of chiral nitrogen-containing bidentate ligands were tested, the most effective of which, (4S,4 S)-4,4 -diisopropyl-2,2 -bisoxazoline (35) and (4R,47 )-4,4 -diethyl-2,2 -bisoxazoline (36), ensured a minor enantiomeric excess of <5% ee (Scheme 12). The coordination of the diene to the chiral Cu(I) complex under formation of a complex of type 37 was proved by CD analysis. The authors suggest a lower reactivity of the chiral complex compared to the copper ion coordinated to solvent molecules as the reason for the low enantioselectivities observed. 

Yamamura has extensively explored the intramolecular [5 - - 2]-cycloaddition mode. This chemistry bears a remarkable similarity to the so-called arene olefin meta-photocycloaddition [64] reaction (e.g., 267 to 268) that has frequently been used in the synthesis of complex bioactive natural products. While different intermediates are involved, the photo-and electrochemical reactions provide access to many of the same basic ring systems. This is nicely demonstrated by comparing key steps and the outcome of an electrochemical approach to the total synthesis of pentalene (53) [65] and a photochemical pathway that ultimately led to cedrene (compare equations 48 and 49). 

The intramolecular (4n + 4ti) photoaddition of furan-pyran-2-one bichromo-phores [e.g. (38) to give (39)] is potentially useful as an approach towards the fusicoccane/ophiobolane skeleton (Chase et al.), and the formation of (40) from the irradiation of (41) constitutes the first example of a (47t + 4ji) photocycloaddition of an enone to the benzene ring (Kishikawa et al.). Wender et al. continue to report elegant new applications of the intramolecular meta photocycloaddition of 5-phenylpent-l-ene derivatives and have described the synthesis of cis,cis,cis, traMi-[5,5,5,5]-fenestrane (42) using the photoreaction of (43) as a key step. Park... 

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