Photocycloaddition reactions stereochemistry

Since then, the photocycloaddition reaction has been extensively studied and has become a powerful tool for the construction of complex polycyclic molecules. High stereoselectivities are observed in some cases. The configuration of the diradical intermediate determines the stereochemistry of the adduct [33], Typical examples... 

Thus, the CESD are capable to form supramolecular complexes containing two dye molecules and metal cations. The self-assembly of the dimeric complexes was shown to be a unique tool for controlling regio- and stereoselectivity of [2+2]-photocycloaddition reaction. The variation of the structure of CESD would make it possible to change the supramolecular spatial structure of the dimer in a desired direction and thus to control the efficiency of interaction and stereochemistry of the final product of PC A. 

No reaction is observed when 50 and 1,1-dimethoxyethene are allowed to stand in the dark for an equivalent period of time. Irradiation of 50 with 4 equiv. of cyclohexene in methylene chloride solvent gives a 51% isolated yield of the (2 + 2)-cyclo-adduct 52 assigned cis-anti-cis stereochemistry. These two cycloadditions were the first two well defined examples of the (2 + 2)-photocycloaddition reaction of an olefin to a carbon-nitrogen double bond. With furan the (2 + 2)-photocycloadduct 53 is formed, again regiospecifically. 

The importance of the ethylene ketal described above with respect to stereocontrol of the de-Mayo reaction is emphasized by later published works of two other teams. Fetizon and co-workers obviously followed a similar concept and carried out photocycloaddition reactions with 96a in model studies (Scheme 23) (Si). As can be seen from retroaldol product 98, exclusive a attack of the cyclohexene has taken place. Thus, the relative stereochemistry of the BC ring connection is opposite to that of taxane. Totally comparable results were obtained by Berkowitz et al. in the course of cycloaddition reactions of cyclopentene, cyclohexene, or those of a cyclohexenone ketal to the camphor derivative 96b (.84). 

A further report of the photocycloaddition reactions of benzothiophenes has been made. The two photoproducts (199) and (200) from the benzophenone-sensitized cycloaddition of bromoethene to the 2,3-dichloro-derivative (201a) have been demonstrated to have the stereochemistry shown.The photoaddition of cis-dichloroethene to (201a) is stereoselective and affords predominantly the adduct (202). When 2,3-dibromobenzothiophene (201b) is used with bromoethane, a different reaction path is followed, yeilding (203). Linear products are also obtained with dichloroethene and (201b). [2 + 2] Photocycloaddition of furan or thiophene to the iso-oxazolines (204) affords the adducts... 

A series of 5-(2-methoxyphenyl)pent-l-enes (65), substituted at the a-, P-, or y- positions with either an OH or OSiMe3 group, undergo an intramolecular meta photocycloaddition reaction to give a product (66) having endo stereochemistry at the substituted carbon atom. The diastereoselectivity is a consequence of minimisation of steric interactions between the side chain substituent and the ortho-MQO group of the arene unit. A molecular mechanics study of the regio- and stereoselectivity of cation-dependent [2 + 2]-photo-... 

There are only a limited number of intermolecular [2 + 2] photocycloaddition reactions known to occur in solution because alkene excited singlet state lifetimes are very short (on the order of 10 ns).708 Direct irradiation of neat but-2-ene, for example, yields tetramethylcyclobutane with stereochemistry suggesting the concerted mechanism (Scheme 6.45).709 Inefficient dimerization (

with efficient E Z isomerization (

[Pg.257]

Studies of the asymmetric photocycloadditions of the 1,3-dioxacyclohexenones (-)-20 or (-)-23, respectively with methyl cyclobutene opened a new route for the syntheses of enantiomerically pure (—)- and (-i-)-grandisol (19)81,82. This approach adopts the use of stereofacial differentiation by a rigid spirocyclic arrangement of the auxiliary and the enone. Since the alkene adds preferentially to face a of both enones, (— )-20 and (—)-23, Complementary enantiomeric product channels are available operating from a single enantiomer of the auxiliary in each case. The photocycloaddition reactions proceeded in a head-to-head fashion (HH/HT 7 1 at — 78 °C) to give tricyclic products with cis-anti-cts stereochemistry ( + )-21 and (+)-24, respectively. The auxiliary, ( —)-menthone, was smoothly removed by formic acid treatment of the cycloadduct (+)-21, no epimerization of the acetyl group in (— )-22 was observed under these mild conditions. 

As noted in the introduction to this section, under UV light irradiation, carbonyl groups [42] and alkenes [43] will add photochemically in a 2 + 2 sense across the 2- and 3-positions of indole, but only if an acyl or aroyl group is present on the indole nitrogen atom. The photocycloaddition reaction of carbonyl compounds with acylindoles was first reported by Julian and Tringham in 1973 [42], They found that irradiation of N-acetylindole or N-para-chlorobenzoylindole with benzophenone, benzoyl-formamide, or methyl benzoylformate gave oxetane products, as shown in Scheme 12. The stereochemistry of the products was not reported. No products were obtained when the indoles were irradiated with acetophenone, benzaldehyde, acetone, or propionaldehyde. This observation... 

Keese and coworkers have also used the intermolecular arene-alkene photocycloaddition reaction as a key step in another route to [5.5.5.5]fenestranes. Irradiation of 84 gave a mixture of products from which the desired adduct 85 could be isolated. Structure and stereochemistry of this tricyclic ester are supported both by earlier experience with the... 

The overall results of substituent effects are observed in the products of a reaction, their rates of formation, and their stereochemistries. The purpose of this article is to apply very simple theoretical techniques to correlations and predictions of the rate and stereoselectivity effects of substituents in [2+2] photocycloadditions. The theoretical methods that will be used are perturbational molecular orbital (PMO) theory and its pictorial representation, the interaction diagram. Only an outline of the theory will be given below, since several more detailed descriptions are available. 4,18-34)... 

In addition to the [4+2] cycloaddition, intramolecular [2+2] photocycloaddition was also successfully used as a main procedure in the synthesis of (i)-ginkgolide B <00JA8453>. The studies on the model reactions and molecular mechanics calculation show that the stereochemistry of the substituents at C6 and C8 should influence severely the reaction diastereoselectivity. When syn-diastereomer 41 is subjected to irradiation the reaction gives a single diastereomer 42 in a quantitative yield since two substituents at C6 and C8 would be in pseudo-equatorial orientation in the chair-like transition state. 

Surface adsorption can also influence observed stereochemistry in a profound way. In enone photocycloadditions on silica gel and on alumina, the reaction which normally occurs from the less hindered alpha face is shifted toward the more hindered beta face, Eq. (9) Adsorption thus apparently disfavors conformational inversion in the intermediate biradical, as is required for formation of trans-fused products. The magnitude of the effect is sufficient to be synthetically useful the above reaction represents a complete reversal of stereochemistry from that observed in methanolic solution... 

The overall course of reaction depends on the relative rate constants for the various secondary radical processes. Aliphatic ketones are often photoreduced to secondary alcohols (4.121, but although there are interesting features in the stereochemistry of the reduction, the method is not a worthwhile alternative to thermal reduction using hydride reagents, except in cases where the substrate is sensitive to basic conditions. Photoaddition of methanol is promoted in the presence of titaniurnfiv) chloride, both for acyclic and cyclic (4.33) ketones the titanium involvement probably starts in the early steps of the reaction, but the detailed mechanism is not known. Addition may also be a major pathway when cyclohexene is used as hydrogen source (4.341 unlike many other simple alkenes, cydohexene does not readily give oxetanes by photocycloaddition (see p. 126). 

From the stereochemical structure of the adduct it can be inferred that the initial ortho photocycloaddition occurs with exo stereochemistry, whereas the subsequent Diels-Alder reaction of the ortho adduct with a second molecule of maleic anhydride proceeds with endo stereochemistry. 

The first investigations by Bryce-Smith et al. [46,67,153] on ortho photocycloaddition of an alkene to hexafluorobenzene have revealed yet another secondary reaction of ortho photocycloadducts. Irradiation of a solution of hexafluorobenzene in r/.v-cyclooctene leads to the rapid formation of seven adducts of which six were identified (i) the exo-meta adduct, (ii) a product that can be formed from the meta adduct by a thermal 1,5 H-shift but which apparently is also a primary product, (iii) an ortho adduct of which the configuration could not be established, (iv) a cyclooctatriene derivative formed by thermal ring opening of the ortho adduct, and (v) and (vi) two stereoisomers of 2,3,4,5,6,7-hexaflu-orotetracyclo[6.6.0.02,7.03,6]tetradec-4-ene. The experiment was repeated 9 years later by Sket et al. [151] with the important difference that cyclohexane was used as a diluent. The meta adduct (i) and its formal rearrangement product (ii) were not found. One ortho adduct (iii), the cyclooctatriene (iv), and the two tetracyclic products (v) and (vi) could be identified and their stereochemistry determined. From their results, the authors concluded that a second ortho adduct with the alternative stereochemistry must also have been formed. They also performed experiments in which the influence of the solvent on the course of the reaction was studied and found that the difference between their results and those of Bryce-... 

A phase-selective photochemical reaction of 2-pyridones is observed. Irradiation of 225 in benzene gives mainly rearrangement products 226, whereas, in the solid state, [4+4] photocycloaddition to the photodimer 227 occurred in quantitative yield (Scheme 39) <20040L683>. The stereochemistry of the photodimer was exclusively the trans- /+configuration, as shown. This is presumably due to Jt-rt-stacking and dipole-dipole interactions between the pyridones. Intermolecular photocycloaddition of 2-pyridone mixtures can be selective and lead to useful quantities of [4+4] cycloaddition cross-products <1999JOC950>. 

Control of absolute asymmetry is a relatively untouched area for [2 + 2] photochemical cycloaddition reactions despite the recent advances in the field of asymmetric synthesis. The first example of the use of a removable chiral auxiliary was reported by Tolbert, who obtained impressive enantioselectivity in the photocycloaddition of bomyl fumarate to stilbenes (equation 37). More recently, Lange has shown that menthyl cyclohexenonecarboxylates are useful in control of absolute stereochemistry (equation 38). Baldwin and Meyers have also obtained excellent facial selectivity in systems where the stereogenic center which controls the diastereoselectivity can be excised to afford products of high enantiomeric purity (equations 39,40). 

Stereochemistry is also affected in a significant way by surface adsorption. When enone photocycloadditions are allowed to occur as adsorbates on silica gel or alumina, larger fractions of reaction product derived from attack on the more hindered P face are observed. Thus, surface adsorption apparently influences conformational inversion, enhancing the formation of /ra s-fused products. This effect is synthetically useful, for sometimes a complete reversal of stereochemistry is observed compared with that seen in methanolic solution. 

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