Reactivity in 2 + 2 cycloadditions

Ketenes are especially reactive in [2 + 2] cycloadditions and an important reason is that they offer a low degree of steric interaction in the TS. Another reason is the electrophilic character of the ketene LUMO. As discussed in Section 10.4 of Part A, there is a large net charge transfer from the alkene to the ketene, with bond formation at the ketene sp carbon mnning ahead of that at the sp2 carbon. The stereoselectivity of ketene cycloadditions is the result of steric effects in the TS. Minimization of interaction between the substituents R and R leads to a cyclobutanone in which these substituents are cis, which is the stereochemistry usually observed in these reactions. 

Ketenes are especially reactive in 2 + 2 cycloadditions because they offer a low degree of steric hindrance at one center-the carbonyl group and a low energy LUMO. 

The reversibility and thermodynamic control of product formation found for the high-pressure reaction between glycals and tosyl isocyanate indicated that the [2+2]cycloaddition of isocyanates to glycals could occur at atmospheric pressure under specific reaction conditions including an excess of isocyanate, as well as proper selection of solvent and substrates. Acyl isocyanates are generally less reactive in [2+2]cycloaddition reactions than sulfonyl isocyanates, except for trichloro- and trifluoroacetyl isocyanate 10,12 addition, acyl isocyanates are problematic because of the competitive formation of [4+2]cycloadducts, which are usually thermodynamically preferred over the [2+2]cycloadducts. 

Across carbon multiple bonds Ketenes are very reactive in [2+2] cycloaddition reactions to numerous double-bonded substrates. They form four-membered ring cycloadducts, even with regular olefins. In the reaction of ketenes with acetylene derivatives sometimes also four-membered ring [2+2] cycloadducts are obtained. The isolation of ethoxycy-clobutenones in the thermolysis of ethoxyacetylenes was interpreted by Nieuwenhuis and Arens to occur via a [2+2] cycloaddition reaction of the generated ketene with the starting material. This type of reaction is also observed when dimethylketene is reacted with ethoxyacetylene to give a 83 % yield of the cyclobutenone . The ketene also reacts with ethoxyacetylene to give the cyclobutenone derivative 95. ... 

Cyclobutanones (11, 560-561). Ketenimium salts are more reactive than ke-tenes in [2 + 2] cycloadditions with alkenes to prepare cyclobutanones. The salts are readily available by in situ reaction of tertiary amides with triflic anhydride and a base, generally 2,4,6-collidine. The cycloaddition proceeds satisfactorily with alkyl-substituted alkenes and alkynes, but not with enol ethers or enamines.1... 

The mixed dimerization of polyhalogenated alkenes with both activated and nonactivated alkcncs has been well documented (see Houben-Weyl, Vol. 4/4, p 206) and continues to represent a convenient preparative method for polyhalogenated cyclobutanes. Of the polyhalogenated alkenes, the fluorinated ethenes are the most reactive towards [2 + 2] cycloadditions. The method is, however, limited by the nonstereoselectivity due largely to the formation of 1,4-diradical intermediates and the requirement of high temperatures. The observation of stereochemical equilibration is seen in the cycloaddition products of tetrafluoroethene (1) with (island (Z)-but-2-ene and (Z)-l,2-[2H2]ethene where mixtures of stereoisomeric cyclobutanes are obtained.19-20... 

Condensed heteroaromatic cations are reactive in [2 + 4] cycloaddition reactions with inverse electron demand. For instance, 2-benzopyrylium salts (389) react with vinyl ethyl ether to afford... 

Triazines are generally more reactive in [2 + 4] cycloaddition in comparison with 1,2,3-tria-zines. The wide variety of dienophiles can be employed enamines, enaminones, vinyl silyl ethers, vinyl thioethers, cyclic ketene jV,O-acetals, /V-phenylmaleimide, 6-dimethylaminopentafulvene, 2-alkylidene-imidazolidines (cychc ketene aminals), cyclic vinyl ethers, arynes, benzocyclopropene, acetylenes, and alkenes like ethylene, (Z)-but-2-ene, cyclopentene, cyclooctene and bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-2-ene, hexa-1,5-diene, cycloocta-1,5-diene, diallyl ether, cyclododeca-l,5,9-triene,... 

Introduction of an alkylthio group on the allene system increased the reactivity of the allene moiety in [2 + 2] cycloaddition reactions. It proved possible to conduct reactions of this allene at much lower temperatures. By adding Lewis acids, the reaction temperature could be decreased even more, as was illustrated by the Lewis acid catalyzed [2-1-2] cycioadditions of l-trimethylsilyl-l-methylthio-l,2-propadiene with a variety of electron-poor alkenes, including cyclic and non-cyclic enones, acrylates, methyl fumarate and acrylonitrile. When a chiral diol 21 based titanium catalyst was employed, the [2-1-2] cycloaddition reactions of /-acryloyl-l,3-oxazolidin-2-ones 17a and 17b with allenyl sulfides 18 yielded methylenecyclobutanes 19 and 20 with high optical purities (equation The highest yields were obtained with electron-poor allenophile 17b. 

The reactivity of isocyanates in [2+2] cycloaddition reactions is as follows alkyl < aryl < nitroaryl << arenesulfonyl < halosulfonyl. Also, the reactivity of the substrate is determined by the substituents. For example, vinyl ethers and enamines are more reactive than olefins. Often the formation of the [2+2] cycloadducts involves polar linear intermediates, which can be intercepted by the isocyanate or the substrate to form six-membered ring [2+2+2] cycloadducts (see Section 3.3.1.4). Also, diynes react with isocyanates to give six-membered ring [2+2+2] cycloadducts. In the latter reactions catalysts play an important role. From Q, ty-diynes macrocyclic adducts are obtained. 

Continued studies on capto-dative substituted olefins have shown their reactivity in [4 + 2] cycloadditions. Reaction takes place on heating the neat diene-dienophile mixture to ca 150 °C [equation (20)]. Mild hydrolysis liberates the ketone, making the starting oldin a convenient equivalent to ketene for use in Diels-Alder cycloadditions. 

Benzo[Z)]furans and indoles do not take part in Diels-Alder reactions but 2-vinyl-benzo[Z)]furan and 2- and 3-vinylindoles give adducts involving the exocyclic double bond. In contrast, the benzo[c]-fused heterocycles function as highly reactive dienes in [4 + 2] cycloaddition reactions. Thus benzo[c]furan, isoindole (benzo[c]pyrrole) and benzo[c]thiophene all yield Diels-Alder adducts (137) with maleic anhydride. Adducts of this type are used to characterize these unstable molecules and in a similar way benzo[c]selenophene, which polymerizes on attempted isolation, was characterized by formation of an adduct with tetracyanoethylene (76JA867). 

Diene moieties, reactive in [2 + 4] additions, can be formed from benzazetines by ring opening to azaxylylenes (Section 5.09.4.2.3). 3,4-Bis(trifluoromethyl)-l,2-dithietene is in equilibrium with hexafluorobutane-2,3-dithione, which adds alkenes to form 2,3-bis-(trifluoromethyl)-l,4-dithiins (Scheme 17 Section 5.15.2.4.6). Systems with more than two conjugated double bonds can react by [6ir + 2ir] processes, which in azepines can compete with the [47t + 27t] reaction (Scheme 18 Section 5.16.3.8.1). Oxepins prefer to react as 47t components, through their oxanorcaradiene isomer, in which the 47r-system is nearly planar (Section 5.17.2.2.5). Thiepins behave similarly (Section 5.17.2.4.4). Nonaromatic heteronins also react in orbital symmetry-controlled [4 + 2] and [8 + 2] cycloadditions (Scheme 19 Section 5.20.3.2.2). 

Photochemical [2 + 2] cycloaddition is a powerful way to produce cyclobutanes, which, in turn, are reactive synthesis intermediates. N-Methylpyrrole adds aldehydes via [2 -I- 2] photocycloaddition to give transient oxetanes with high regioselectivity Ring-opening produces 3-(oi-hydroxyalkyl)pyrroles which are oxidized easily to 3-arylpyrroles, such as 3-BUTYROYL-l-METHYL-PYRROLE. With a special apparatus, ethylene is conveniently added to 3-methyl-... 

The behavior of strained,/Zuorimiret/ methylenecyelopropanes depends upon the position and level of fluorination [34], l-(Difluoromethylene)cyclopropane is much like tetrafluoroethylene in its preference for [2+2] cycloaddition (equation 37), but Its 2,2-difluoro isomer favors [4+2] cycloadditions (equation 38). Perfluoromethylenecyclopropane is an exceptionally reactive dienophile but does not undergo [2+2] cycloadditions, possibly because of stenc reasons [34, 45] Cycloadditions involving most possible combinations of simple fluoroalkenes and alkenes or alkynes have been tried [85], but kinetic activation enthalpies (A/f j for only the dimerizations of tetrafluoroethylene (22 6-23 5 kcal/mol), chlorotri-fluoroethylene (23 6 kcal/mol), and perfluoropropene (31.6 kcal/mol) and the cycloaddition between chlorotnfluoroethylene and perfluoropropene (25.5 kcal/mol) have been determined accurately [97, 98] Some cycloadditions involving more functionalized alkenes are listed in Table 5 [99. 100, 101, 102, 103]... 

It is instructive to note that the intramolecular [2+2] cycloaddition process should benefit from the presence of the cis C1-C2 double bond in 14. Indeed, the cis C1-C2 double bond is expected to facilitate the key [2+2] cycloaddition event by bringing into proximity the reactive ketene moiety and the C5-C6 olefin and by... 

The possibility of being involved in olefin metathesis is one of the most important properties of Fischer carbene complexes. [2+2] Cycloaddition between the electron-rich alkene 11 and the carbene complex 12 leads to the intermediate metallacyclobutane 13, which undergoes [2+2] cycloreversion to give a new carbene complex 15 and a new alkene 14 [19]. The (methoxy)phenylcar-benetungsten complex is less reactive in this mode than the corresponding chromium and molybdenum analogs (Scheme 3). 

Similar to this cycloaddition, ferrate 40 also proved to be catalytically active in [5 + 2]-cycloadditions, as discussed for ferrate 38 (eq. 2 in Scheme 11). As for the cycloisomerization reactions, ferrate 40 also turned out to be reactive toward... 

The synthetic utility of the D-A reaction can be expanded by the use of dienophiles that contain masked functionality and are the synthetic equivalents of unreactive or inaccessible compounds. (See Section 13.1.2 for a more complete discussion of the concept of synthetic equivalents.) For example, a-chloroacrylonitrile shows satisfactory reactivity as a dienophile. The a-chloronitrile functionality in the adduct can be hydrolyzed to a carbonyl group. Thus, a-chloroacrylonitrile can function as the equivalent of ketene, CH2=C=0,63 which is not a suitable dienophile because it has a tendency to react with dienes by [2 + 2] cycloaddition, rather than the desired [4 + 2] fashion. 

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