Ring strain stereochemistry affected

The stereochemistry of the hexitols affects the manner of ring fusion, as is seen in Figs. 3 and 4. In mannitol, sorbitol (gulitol) and iditol, the l,4 3,6-dianhydro rings are m-oriented, whereas in the dulcitol, allitol and altritol (talitol) series the 1,4 3,6-rings are trans-oriented. This makes the ring system in this latter series almost planar although in the case of dianhydrodulcitol and allitol there is considerable strain in the molecules. 

Other factors which affect the case of electrocyclic ring opening include the nature of substituents which can stabilize or destabilize the development of possible charge and the release of strain in small cyclic systems. Thus different stereochemistries have been observed in the ring opening of cyclopropyl derivatives. All cis derivatives generate an all-cis allyl cation but the anti derivatives will form the all trans cation. 

The fact that the reactions take place in the direction of ring-opening is determined by thermodynamics, but the stereochemistry is most certainly not, for the cyclobutene 4.36 gives the thermodynamically more strained product 4.37 with one of the double bonds cis. Thermodynamics affects the stereochemistry only with the opening of the cyclobutene 4.38, which shows a preference for one of the conrotatory modes, that giving the trans,trans diene 4.39, where the rules could have led to the cis,cis diene equally well. This type of selectivity is called torqueoselectivity. 

---