Photocycloaddition substrate

H)-Furanones (4-oxa-2-cyclopentenones) have been extensively explored as [2 + 2]-photocycloaddition substrates [59, 60]. A recent intermolecular example (Scheme 6.19) illustrates the application of their photocycloaddition chemistry to... 

A which is not observed in individual solutions of the two enones at the same concentrations and may thus be indicative of a complex formation. However, the ratio of isomeric cyclobutane products resulting from such photocycloadditions is generally seen to be a quite sensitive function of steric effects and of the properties of the reaction solvent, of the excited state(s) involved (in some cases two different excited triplet states of the same enone have been found to lead to different adducts) and of the substituents of the excited enone and substrate. No fully satisfactory theory has yet been put forth to draw together all the observations reported thus far. 

Intramolecular (2 + 2)-photocycloaddition has proved to be an excellent route to the synthesis of the so-called cage compounds. Ideally, this route utilizes substrates where the two alkene moieties are held face-to-face within a pre-formed structure. The irradiation brings about excitation and coupling of the two groups to afford a cyclobutane ring. 

The skeleton of 47 is a heterocyclic tricyclo[6.2.0.0 ]decane and the similarity to the tricyclic kelsoene is obvious. In the course of the above-mentioned studies we had become curious whether the high facial diastereocontrol in the photocycloaddition reaction could be extended to other bridged 1,6-hexadienes. Kelsoene was an ideal test case. The retrosynthetic strategy for kelsoene along an intramolecular [2+2]-photocycloaddition pathway appeared straightforward. To avoid chemoselectivity problems the precursor to kelsoene should not contain additional double bonds. Alcohol 48, the hydroxy group of which was possibly to be protected, seemed to be a suitable substrate for the photocycloaddition (Scheme 14). Access to the 1,2,3-substi-... 

At present, it is common knowledge that not only the photoreactivity, but also the stereochemistry, of the photoproduct is predictable from crystallographic information of starting olefin substrates. This ability of olefinic crystals to dimerize has been widely applied to the topochemical photocycloaddition polymerization of conjugated diolefinic compounds, so called "four-center type photopolymerizations" (7,8). All the photopolymerizable diolefin crystals are related to the center of symmetry mode (centrosymmetric -type crystal) and thus give polymers having cyclobutanes with a 1,3-trans configuration in the main chain on irradiation. 

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). 

Furans are able to undergo photocycloaddition of the [W2S+ 2S] and the [W4S+ 4S] type to suitable substrates. With benzene (80JCS(P1)2174) five 1 1 products are obtained. The relative proportions of these products are highly variable and depend on the relative concentration of the reactants, the irradiation time, the light intensity and the temperature of the solution. For the shortest irradiation time with a low-pressure mercury lamp at 15 °C, the relative proportions are 1 1 10 40 2. The major product is the 2,5 l, 4 -adduct (301) and the next most prolific is the 2,3 l, 2 -adduct (302). Adduct (301) is unreactive to dienophiles but gives adduct (302) by Cope reaction at 60-70 °C. This reaction can also be achieved by irradiation of a cyclohexane solution of (301). Adduct (302) reacts readily with dienophiles in ethereal solution to form Diels-Alder adducts. The minor adducts possess structures (303), (304) and (305). The reaction is thought to involve the first excited triplet of benzene or an excited state complex. A [ .4s+ .4g] photoadduct (306) is formed... 

Photocycloaddition reactions have been used as key transformations in many organic syntheses to construct organic compounds having unique structures that are hardly accessible by other methods. However, their stereoselectivity is not necessarily high, and many efforts have been done to attain the highly regioselective and stereoselective photocycloadditions. They are discussed in terms of the electronic nature of substrates, the steric repulsions between substituents, and the conformational restrictions of intramolecular reactions. 

A [2 + 2] photocycloaddition with two alkenes can also be induced by photochemical electron transfer [16,17]. In such cases, sensitizers are frequently used and the reactions therefore occur under photocatalysis [18]. Under photochemical electron transfer (PET) conditions, the diene 10 yielded in an intramolecular reaction the cyclobutane 11 (Scheme 5.2) [19], such that in this reaction a 12-membered cyclic polyether is built up. The reaction starts with excitation of the sensitizer 1,4-dicyanonaphthalene (DCN) only 0.1 equivalents of the sensitizer are added to the reaction mixture. Electron transfer occurs from the substrate 10 to the excited sensitizer, leading to the radical cation I. This intermediate then undergoes cycli-zation to the radical cation of the cyclobutane (II). Electron transfer from the radical anion of the sensitizer to the intermediate II leads to the final product 11, and regenerates the sensitizer. In some cases, for example the cydodimerization of N-vinylcarbazole, the effidency is particularly high because a chain mechanism is involved [20]. 

A variety of four-membered ring compounds can be obtained with photochemical reactions of aromatic compounds, mainly with the [2 + 2] (ortho) photocycloaddition of alkenes. In the case of aromatic compounds of the benzene type, this reaction is often in competition with the [3 + 2] (meta) cycloaddition, and less frequently with the [4 + 2] (para) cycloaddition (Scheme 5.7) [38-40]. When the aromatic reaction partner is electronically excited, both reactions can occur at the 7t7t singlet state, but only the [2 + 2] addition can also proceed at the %% triplet state. Such competition was also discussed in the context of redox potentials of the reaction partners [17]. Most frequently, it is the electron-active substituents on the aromatic partner and the alkene which direct the reactivity. The [2 + 2] photocycloaddition is strongly favored when electron-withdrawing substituents are present in the substrates. In such a reaction, crotononitrile 34 was added to anisole 33 (Scheme 5.8, reaction 15) [41 ], and only one regioisomer (35) was obtained in good yield. In this transformation, the... 

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 intermolecular [2 + 2]-photocycloaddition of para-tetrahydronaphthoqui-nones has been applied by Ward et al. to the synthesis of cyathin diterpenes [52], An example is represented by the total synthesis of ( )-allocyathin B3 (46), during the course of which the diastereoselective [2 + 2]-photocycloaddition of allene to substrate 44 served as one of the pivotal steps (Scheme 6.17) [53]. The addition delivered a mixture of regioisomers (r.r. = 80/20), from which compound 45 was separated. The facial diastereoselectivity was perfect due to the concave shape of the quinone. 

Photocycloaddition ofVinylogous Amides and Esters (Substrate Classes A2 and A3)... 

From a preparative point of view the heteroatom in P-position has an influence because important latent cyclobutane cleavage pathways exist in the product. The prototypical reaction of this type is the [2 + 2]-photocycloaddition/retro-aldol reaction sequence (de Mayo reaction) [55-57], the course of which is illustrated for substrate A3 (Q = O, PG = protecting group) in the reaction with ethylene as a generic olefin. 

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