Rearrangement, dienone-phenol sigmatropic

Dienone-phenol rearrangements are mechanistically diverse. They may involve 1,2-shifts of the Wag-ner-Meerwein type, or of the benzil-benzilic acid kind 1,3-shifts by a Claisen-Cope mechanism 1,5-sigmatropic shifts Favorskii-like reactions and other types. They may also be induced photochemically. A number of reviews are available, which discuss mechanistic aspects in detail. In this chapter emphasis is put on preparative aspects of these reactions and the examples are organized on a structural basis, stressing the new bond(s) formed. 

Ring-expansion reactions have been carried out in a dienone-phenol rearrangement of (7) to the oxygen-containing heterocycle (8) with 30% methanolic sulphuric acid," and in a stereospecific synthesis of a 4-thiacyclo-octene via a [2,3] sigmatropic shift (see last year s Report, p. 412). 

There are other types of proton shift tautomers, such as phenol/dienone, nitroso/oxime and imine/enamine, but these are less often encountered. There are also valence tautomers that exhibit fluxional structures, which undergo rapid sigmatropic rearrangements. Molecules that exhibit this type of isomerism are very interesting, but are not often encountered in undergraduate courses. An example of a valence tautomer is illustrated by the Cope system. 

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