Radical cyclization forming pyrans

The tandem radical cyclization of tetrayne (97) and its derivatives has been performed to generate the polycyclic pyran (98) via a biradical intermediate.238 The cycloaddition reaction of a biradical species (or diyl) and a multiply bonded species (the diylophile)239 has been observed with unique allene diylophiles.240 The short-lived biradical fonned by the irradiation of the diazene (99) is trapped by an allene diester to form a second biradical species (100). Intramolecular cyclization occurs such that all steric interactions are minimized and so enforces stereocontrol in the formation of the cycloadduct (101) see Scheme 14. A paper reports the rearrangement of 2-vinyhnethylenecyclopropane (102) to 3-methylcyclopentene (103) via the triplet biradical (104), which has been characterized for the first tune by IR spectroscopy.241... 

A further example of the stereoselective synthesis of /ran.v-subsiituted tetrahydropyrans is the radical cyclization of ethyl (4R)-(Z)-4-(2-bromo-l-ethoxyethoxymethyl)-2-hexenoate3" The radical cyclization is performed by heating the bromoacetal in the presence of tributyltin hydride and AIBN in benzene. A mixture of two diastereomers is formed in 97% yield. Reduction, benzylation, hydrolysis and oxidation gives the /ran.v-substituted ( + )-(4S,57 )-4-(2-benzyloxyethyl)-5-ethyltetrahydro-2//-pyran-2-one (5), which is a potential synthetic intermediate for (—)-emetine35. The highly selective formation of the tram-substituted pyrans is rationalized by an allylic strain effect that destabilizes the transition state leading to the cis- isomers. 

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