Dimerization Photodimerization

Dimerization. A coumarin dimer is formed by prolonged exposure of coumarin to sunlight or uv radiation. Photodimerization is also catalyzed by boron trifluoride (30). 

Unusual heterocyclic systems can be obtained by photodimerizations and for five-membered heterocycles with two or more heteroatoms such dimerizations need be effected on their ring-fused derivatives. Cyclobutanes are usually obtained as in the photodimerization of the s-triazolo[4,3-a]pyridine (540) to the head-to-head dimer (541). These thermally labile photodimers were formed by dimerization of the 5,6-double bond in one molecule with the 7,8-double bond in another (77T1247). Irradiation of the bis( 1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-a]pyridyl)ethane (542) at 300 nm gave the CK0ifused cyclobutane dimer (543). At 254 nm the cage-like structure (544) was formed (77T1253). 

An example of intramolecular abstraction has already been given (p. 318). Category 6. Photodimerization. An example is dimerization of cyclopente-... 

In the crystal of 1,4-dicinnamoylbenzene (1,4-DCB) (see Fig. 12), the distances between the intermolecular photoadductive carbons are 3.973 and 4.086 A for one cyclobutane ring, and 3.903 and 3.955 A for the other. The two topochemical pathways may occur competitively in a single crystal of 1,4-DCB at the initial stage of reaction. Then, both intramolecular photodimerization and intermolecular photopolymerization of the diolefinic mono-cyclobutane intermediate occur competitively to give tricyclic dimer 21,22,23,24-tetraphenyl-l,4,ll,14-tetraoxo-2(13),12(13-diethanol, [4.4] para-cyclophane or oligomers (Hasegawa et al., (1985). On photoirridation at room temperature the 1,4-DCB crystal gives >90% of the tricylic... 

The [2 + 2] photodimerization of a, j8-unsaturated sulfones is correctly viewed as a photoreaction of alkenes, rather than the sulfone group, and this aspect has been reviewed recently by Reid, as part of a wider survey of the photoreaction of O- and S-heterocycles. The topic continues to attract considerable interest and a few recent examples, as well as some synthetic applications, will be discussed here. Much of the photodimerization work has been carried out on the benzo[fc]thiophene (thianaphthene) 1,1-dioxide system. For example. Porter and coworkers have shown that both 3-carboxybenzo[i]thiophene 1,1-dioxide (65) and its methyl ester give only the head-to-head (hth), anti dimer (66) on irradiation in ethanol. In a rather unusual finding for such systems, the same dimer was obtained on thermal dimerization of 65. Similar findings for a much wider variety of 3-substituted benzo[fi]thiophene 1,1-dioxides have been reported more recently by Geneste and coworkers . In the 2-substituted analogs, the hth dimer is accompanied by some of the head-to-tail (htt), anti dimer. The formation of the major dimer appears to proceed by way of an excited triplet and the regiochemistry observed is in accord with frontier MO theory. 

An interesting example is photodimerization of waphorone where the use of SC CO2 increases the yield of the aaft -dimer relative to the yn-dimer. Special polymers ean be made by using SC fluids. Apart from SC CO2, SC propane can be very useful and act as a convenient medium. Roche has also reported replacement of an expensive Rh catalyst with a cheaper Ru catalyst using a high-pressure application of hydrogen. 

Intermolecular photocycloadditions of alkenes can be carried out by photosensitization with mercury or directly with short-wavelength light.179 Relatively little preparative use has been made of this reaction for simple alkenes. Dienes can be photosensitized using benzophenone, butane-2,3-dione, and acetophenone.180 The photodimerization of derivatives of cinnamic acid was among the earliest photochemical reactions to be studied.181 Good yields of dimers are obtained when irradiation is carried out in the crystalline state. In solution, cis-trans isomerization is the dominant reaction. 

Derivatives of anthracene bearing substituents on the 1 or 2 position can be photodimerized with efficiencies comparable to that for the unsubstituted molecule. However, with substituents at the 9 meso) or 9, 10 dimeso) positions a very interesting photochemical problem results. Since dimerization occurs across the 9, 10 positions, substituents at these positions exert a first-order effect on the photochemical reaction. The mero-substituted anthracenes examined include the following as 19>... 

By examining any correlation between excimer formation (as evidenced by characteristic excimer fluorescence) and dimerization quantum yield, one could perhaps determine whether dimerization is dependent upon prior excimer formation. Excimer fluorescence from anthracene solutions at room temperature is negligible although it has been observed in the solid state at low temperature.<75) Unfortunately, the data for substituted anthracenes allow no firm conclusions to be drawn. Some derivatives dimerize but do not exhibit excimer fluorescence. Others both dimerize and show excimer fluorescence. Still others show excimer fluorescence but do not dimerize and finally, some neither dimerize nor show excimer fluorescence. Hopefully, further work will determine what role excimer formation plays in this photodimerization. 

The photodimerization of simple isolated olefinic bonds is rarely observed because of the absorption of these compounds in the high-energy or vacuum-ultraviolet region. One case reported is that of the photo-dimerization of 2-butene.<2) Irradiation of liquid cw-2-butene with light from a cadmium (A = 229, 227, 214 nm) or zinc (A = 214 nm) lamp was reported to lead to dimers (1) and (2) ... 

In order to determine the multiplicity of the reactive species, the photodimerization was carried out in the presence of the triplet quenchers oxygen and ferrocene. The results of these experiments are shown in Table 10.4.<41) It is obvious that the presence of oxygen exerts a large quenching effect on the production of the tram dimer and a smaller but significant effect on the formation of the cis dimer (the formation of tram dimer is decreased by oxygen by a factor of 25, while the cis dimer is decreased by a factor of 1.2). As with oxygen, the production of the tram dimer was quenched in the... 

The photodimerization of coumarin has been rather extensively investi-gated.<90 92) Irradiation of coumarin in solution yields a mixture of four stereoisomeric dimers (78)—(81) with dimers (78) and (79) strongly predominating ... 

Cowan and Drisko have studied the photodimerization of acenaphthy-lene(130,l36) in detail and have concluded that the cis dimer is derived primarily from a singlet excimer state of acenaphthylene while the trans dimer is derived entirely from the acenaphthylene triplet state ... 

The stereospecificity of these reactions is surprising in light of the large energies absorbpd by these molecules. Indeed, the major photochemical product of these photolyses was the alternate olefin isomer (1-butene was also observed). These results indicate that free rotation about the photo-excited double bond does not occur in those molecules that dimerize. This suggests the participation of ground state complexes or excimers in the photodimerization. This view is supported by the observations that dilution of cw-2-butene with neopentane (1 1) decreased the yield of dimers and a 1 4 dilution almost completely suppressed dimerization. 

Photodimerization reactions of some other simple alkenes and dienes follow/39-30 36-182 Although not a dimerization reaction, photochemical ring closures to yield cyclobutane derivatives are analogous and are included in this section 31-35 ... 

Cycloadditions are in general an effective way of constructing cyclobutane rings. A wide variety of heterocyclic systems dimerize in this way. 1,3-Diacetylindole, for example, affords the head-to-tail dimer 242 on irradiation in ethanol.185 Ethyl 2-ethoxy-l,2-dihydroquinoline-l-carboxy-late is similarly converted in diethyl ether into the trans head-to-head dimer.186 Notable among many analogous photodimerizations are those reported in 1,4-dihydropyridines,187 in furo[3,2-b]pyridin-2(4//)-ones,188 in 8-methyl-s-triazolo[4,3-a]pyridine,189 and in 2H-2-benzazepine-1,3-diones.190 The [ 2 + 2] dimerization of amidopyrine is the first reported example of a photocycloaddition in a 4-pyrazolin-3-one.191... 

The photodimerization of pyrimidine bases continues to attract attention, undoubtedly because of the biological implications of such transformations. 1,3-Dimethyluracil affords four [ 2 + 2] dimers on irradiation in an ice-matrix.192 Analogous dimeric species have been obtained under a variety of conditions from dimethylthymine,193 tetramethyluracil,194 5-methyloro-... 

Cycloadditions, although relatively rare, are not unknown in heterocyclic systems. The first documented example was the photodimerization of pyrid-2-one a reinvestigation of this reaction has established that three other isomeric [ 4 + 4] dimers are formed in low yield in addition to the originally reported trans-anti dimer (264).215 Attempts to effect analogous cycloadditions in a series of l,T-polymethylenedipyrid-2-ones were unsuccessful, [ 2 + 2] and [ 4 + 2] additions being preferred.216 Thus,... 

The first photochemical reactions to be correlated with PMO theory were the dimerizations of anthracene, tetracene, pentacene, and acenaphthylene. 36> More detailed energy surfaces for the photodimerization reactions of butadiene have also been calculated. 30> In the category of simplified calculations lie studies of the regiospecificity of Diels-Alder reactions 37>, and reactivity in oxetane-forming reactions. 38,39) jn these... 

In this type of process an excited molecule adds to a second — identical — molecule in its ground state, usually with formation of a ring. These dimerizations are thus most commonly intermolecular reactions, but obviously the two reactive moieties can also be linked together, e.g. by an alkyl chain. Such intramolecular photodimerization reactions have been studied in detail422). 

Cyclic a,P-enones photodimerize via the Tt-state, as in (4.23)426) and (4.24)427). By chosing the appropriate substituents the reactions proceed regio- and stereoselectively. In contrast, pyrimidine bases dimerize from the first excited singlet state to afford head to tail products (4.25) 428). 

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