Oxetanes, from alkene-carbonyl

The first step of the reaction involves the (n, it ) excited state of the carbonyl compound reacting with the ground-state alkene. For aromatic ketones, rapid intersystem crossing from the excited singlet state to the excited triplet state occurs, forming initially a 1,4-biradical and then the oxetane ... 

Photocycloaddition of thiones to alkenes is the most popular and fruitful method for the preparation of the thietane system. In analogy to the formation of the oxetanes by cycloaddition of the electronic excited ( ,tc ) carbonyls, thietanes can be expected to arise photochemically from aromatic thioketones and substituted olefins as well as 1,2- and 1,3-dienes. ° Thiobenzophenone serves as a source of a sulfur atom and, because of its blue color, which disappears on photocycloaddition, permits exact control over the reaction time. A mixture of thiobenzophenone and a-phellandrene must be irradiated for 70 hr before the blue color disappears (Eq. 2) and... 

Considerable variation is also possible in the carbonyl function, and in addition to simple aldehydes and ketones, acetyl cyanide,292 diethyl oxomalonate,293 diethyl oxalate,294 and ethyl cyanoformate 295 [Eq. (77)] will all undergo cycloaddition to alkenes to form the corresponding oxetanes. Oxetanes are also formed in certain circumstances from both a,j8-unsaturated aldehydes298 and acetylenic ketones.297... 

The Patemo-Biichi reaction is a photocycloaddition reaction of a n,ji carbonyl compound to an alkene in the ground state from either the Si or the rl i state. The reaction can occur through the initial C O bond formation or through a previous formation of the C—C bond. A frontier orbitals approach can be used to explain the formation of oxetanes. We can observe the HSOMO-LUMO interaction in which the half-occupied ji carbonyl orbital interacts with the unoccupied ji molecular orbital of an electron-deficient alkene, and a C,0-biradical is formed. The LSOMO-HOMO interaction in which the half-occupied n orbital of the carbonyl O atom interacts with the ji orbital of an electron-rich alkene, and a C,C-biradical is formed [13, 14]. 

There is a striking difference between the photochemical reactivity of oc,(3-unsaturated enones and the corresponding ynones. Whereas many cyclic enones undergo [2+2] cycloaddition to alkenes at the C=C double bond of the enone (probably from the triplet nn state) to yield cyclobutanes, acyclic enones easily deactivate radiationless by rotation about the central C-C single bond. Ynones on the other hand behave much more like alkyl-substituted carbonyl compounds and add to (sterically less encumberd) alkenes to yield oxetanes (Sch. 11) [38,39]. The regioselectivity of the Paterno-Biichi reaction is similar to that of aliphatic or aromatic carbonyl compounds with a preference for primary attack at the less substituted carbon atom (e.g., 41 and 42 from the reaction of but-3-in-2-one 40 with... 

The synthesis of fused oxetane derivatives via the Paterno-Bchi cycloaddition of carbonyls and alkenes is discussed in detail in a representative example is shown in Scheme 7 <2001CEJ4512>. See also Sections 3.3.1.8.3 and 3.4.1.10.5 for the preparation of fused oxetanes and azetdines by [2 + 2] cycloaddition reactions. Benzox-etan-2-one 10 has been prepared in an argon matrix by C02 loss from phthaloyl peroxide <1973JA4061>. 

The facial diastereoselectivity derived from-the ratio (3 + 4)/(5 + 6) was 50%, while the exo/endo selectivity derived from the product ratio (3 + 5)/(4 4- 6) was 40%. Oxetanes 9a,b were obtained with a low diastereoselectivity from the reaction of (R)-isopropylideneglyceraldehyde 7 with 3,4-dimethylfuran 8 [6]. Oxetanes 9a,b have been used for the synthesis of asteltoxin. Enantiopure acyl cyanides were used in the same way as chiral carbonyl reaction partners [7] and camphor for the addition with electron-poor alkenes like dicyanoethylene [8]. In the latter case the reaction occurs in the S i state of the carbonyl compound. 

The intramolecular attack of an excited carbonyl on an alkene can occur to provide oxetane products, even in cases when the corresponding intermolecular reaction is imsuccessful. Thus the intramolecular reaction surely benefits from favorable entropic considerations. Jones and Carless have summarized the scope and utility of intramolecular Patemo-BUchi photocycloadditions. There is general agreement that successful implementation of an intramolecular reaction requires that the Norrish type II photoreactionsand other hydrogen abstraction processes be overcome. In addition, the intramolecular reaction provides access to polyoxygenated ring systems that can exhibit remarkable properties because of their strain. 

Translation of these results into compound I leads to structure X. Unraveling of the strained zwitterion XI derived from this would yield keto aldehyde XII, a structure that plays a central role in the various possible reaction mechanisms that branch off from the starting material I. Furthermore, under photo-lytic conditions, some alkenes react with carbonyl compounds to form four-membered cyclic ethers, namely, oxetanes, by way of a [2-1-2] cycloaddition reaction known as the Patemo-Buchi process. Such a reaction would be all that is necessary to convert XII into the bicyclic cyclopropanone XIII required for the Favorskii-type rearrangement (see Scheme 42.3). Splitting by methanol attack would directly yield compound II. 

The photochemical cycloaddition of a carbonyl, generally from an aldehyde or ketone, and an alkene is called the Patemd-Buchi reaction This [2 + 2]-cycloaddition gives an oxetane (213) and the reaction is believed to proceed via a diradical intermediate. Silyl enol ethers react with aldehydes under nonphoto-chemical conditions using ZnCl2 at 25°C or SnCl4 at —78°C. ... 

If you see a four-membered ring, think [2 + 2] cycloaddition, especially if the ring is a cyclobutanone (ketene) or light is required (photochemically allowed). Ketenes and other cumulenes undergo [2 + 2] cycloadditions with special facility. An oxetane (four-membered ring with one O) is often obtained from the [2 + 2] photocycloaddition of a carbonyl compound and an alkene. 

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