Radical phenylsulfinyl

The absolute stereochemistry at the sulfoxide sulfur atom in some /J-phenylsulfinyl radicals (prepared in situ by treating 2-bromo-3-phenylsulfinylbutanes with tributylstan-nane) controls the stereochemistry (i.e., cis vs. trans) of the olefinic products which are formed104. Implicit in this result is that loss of the sulfinyl group occurs more rapidly than rotation about C-2-C-3 of the intermediate radical105. 

These results are in accordance with the findings of Boothe and coworkers26, who found that the reactions of four diastereomeric 2-bromo-3-phenylsulfinylbutanes with tributyl-tin radicals generate /3-phenylsulfinyl sec-butyl radicals (8) which eliminate PhSO radicals to form the 2-butenes in a stereoselective manner. The stereoselectivities observed in this free radical elimination must result from the fact that the rate constant for elimination is greater than that for rotation about the C—C bond. Furthermore, a neighboring phenyl group on the radical center seems to stabilize the radical enough so that the internal rotation can compete with the -elimination reaction. It is also noteworthy that the small... 

Co-oxidation of indene and thiophenol takes place readily if the reactants in benzene solution are shaken with oxygen at temperatures in the range 20° to 40°C. (7). The major primary product has been shown to be frans-2-phenylmercapto-1 -indanyl hydroperoxide, I, which rearranges spontaneously to the two racemes of frans-2-phenylsulfinyl-l-indanol, II (8), and a tentative reaction scheme involving a three-step radical chain based on the suggestion of Kharasch, Nudenberg, and Mantell (11) was proposed for the formation of I. These three products accounted for 86% of the oxygen absorbed. 

Fraser-Reid and co-workers have examined serial radical cyclization of pyranose-derivatives [95AJC333] in the stereocontrolled synthesis of Woodward s reserpine precursor [95JOC3859]. Treatment of the bromosilane 188 under reductive conditions resulted in a 5-exo followed by a 6-exo cyclization. The intermediate radical eliminates phenylsulfinyl radical to provide the alkene 189 as the product. The intermediate has been converted to the reserpine precursor 190. The temporary silicon method has been utilized for the synthesis of brassinolide side chain [95SL850]. 

An efficient way of introducing selenium in a radical precursor is the use of selenium containing building blocks. The selenides are particularly appropriate when the reaction sequence involves reaction steps that are incompatible with halides or when the corresponding halides are not stable. In Eq. (7), preparation of the selenenylated alkenyl sulfoxide 35 by alkylation of malonate 33 with the bromide 34 is described [18]. This procedure is not feasible with the corresponding halide due to cyclopropane formation via intramolecular alkylation. Radical cyclization of 35 in a 5-exo mode affords, after elimination of the phenylsulfinyl radical, the methylenecyclopentane 36 in good yield and excellent enantioselec-tivity. 

Reaction of 2-phenylsulfinyl esters such as (133) with acetic anhydride is slow at room temperature, but when a catalytic amount of methanesulfonic acid is present in the reaction medium, conversion to the vinyl sulfide (134) is complete after a few hours at 20-40 C (Scheme 31). Mixtures of ( )/(2) isomers are usually obtained, with the (2)-isomer generally being the more stable. These isomers are in-terconverted on heating, a process which occurs slowly on standing, even in the dark. The discovery that photochemical or free radical induced 1,3-shift of the PhS group in (135) to the y-position can be effected offers an additional opportunity to modulate the a/y selectivity in the extended enolate chemistry of a,3-unsaturated carbonyl systems. 

In spite of the CIDNP polarization pattern, we believe the sulfinyl mechanism can be dismissed. First, the SO bond in a sulfinyl radical is very strong. Using Benson s estimate for the heat of formation of the phenylsulfinyl radical (13 kcal/mol) [63] and standard values for the other relevant compounds [98], the S-0 bond energy is ca. 102 kcal/mol, whereas the C-S bond is some 35 kcal/mol weaker. Transfer of an O atom from phenylsulfinyl to a methyl radical is endothermic by 11 kcal/mol, and to epoxidize ethylene endothermic by 40 kcal/mol. (The relevance of the latter example will become clear below.) Furthermore, from the a-cleavage work discussed previously, it is clear that the expected product from reaction to an arylsulfmyl radical and a carbon radical is a sulfenic ester or disproportionation product. 

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