Radical ring-opening with dithiols

Figure 10. Radical ring-opening polyaddition of bifunctional vinyloxirane with dithiols.

The preparative reduction, polarography, and cyclic voltammetry of 5-methyl-l,2-dithiole-3-thione have been studied.171 The results obtained are in agreement with a one-electron reduction of the thiocarbonyl group to a radical-anion, which could not be detected by ESR spectroscopy as it dimerizes too fast. The dimer is further reduced by a one-electron reduction to an anion in which the ring has been opened. (Scheme 12). The dianion could be isolated after methylation and was found to be identical with the compounds isolated by Maignan and Vialle by reduction with sodium sulfide.124 The dianion corresponds to the thioketonate dianion obtained by electrochemical reduction of 1,2-dithiolylium salts.172... 

Benzocyclopropene reacts with a variety of radical reagents (for example A -bromosuccinimide carbon tetrachloride bromotrichloromethane bromoform/benzoyl peroxide alkyl sulfide and ethane-1,2-dithiol with photolysis) to afford products derived from cleavage of the cyclopropane ring. The preferential mode of reaction consists of a chain reaction initiated by radical addition at Cl a followed by opening of the cyclopropyl radical to afford a benzyl radical. Yields are generally low except for the addition of the alkylsulfanyl radical, e.g. formation of 1, and no products derived from addition to the central tt-bond are formed. Cyclopropa[A]naphthalene reacts similarly with radicals and gives 2-methylnapthalene derivatives, while no addition to the central 7i-bond is observed. ... 

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