Electrocyclic/sigmatropic rearrangement

The combination of pericyclic transformations as cycloadditions, sigmatropic rearrangements, electrocyclic reactions and ene reactions with each other, and also with non-pericyclic transformations, allows a very rapid increase in the complexity of products. As most of the pericyclic reactions run quite well under neutral or mild Lewis acid acidic conditions, many different set-ups are possible. The majority of the published pericyclic domino reactions deals with two successive cycloadditions, mostly as [4+2]/[4+2] combinations, but there are also [2+2], [2+5], [4+3] (Nazarov), [5+2], and [6+2] cycloadditions. Although there are many examples of the combination of hetero-Diels-Alder reactions with 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions (see Section 4.1), no examples could be found of a domino all-carbon-[4+2]/[3+2] cycloaddition. Co-catalyzed [2+2+2] cycloadditions will be discussed in Chapter 6. 

A review detailing computational methods for determining transition-state geometry in stereoselective cycloaddition reactions has been presented. Diels-Alder reactions, 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions, sigmatropic rearrangements, electrocyclic reactions, and ene reactions have been extensively reviewed. Pressure-induced cycloadditions to strained arenes have been reviewed. ... 

Classify the following reactions as electrocyclizations, sigmatropic rearrangements, cycloadditions, etc., and give the correct symbolism for the electrons involved in each concerted process. Some of the reactions proceed by two sequential processes. 

A pericyclic reaction is one that takes place in a single step through a cyclic transition state without intermediates. There are three major classes of peri-cyclic processes electrocyclic reactions, cycloaddition reactions, and sigmatropic rearrangements. The stereochemistry of these reactions is controlled by the symmetry of the orbitals involved in bond reorganization. 

Keywords Diels-Alder reactions, dipolar cycloadditions, electrocyclic reactions, ene reactions, pericyclic reactions, sigmatropic rearrangements... 

Double-bond isomerization can also take place in other ways. Nucleophilic allylic rearrangements were discussed in Chapter 10 (p. 421). Electrocyclic and sigmatropic rearrangements are treated at 18-27-18-35. Double-bond migrations have also been accomplished photochemically, and by means of metallic ion (most often complex ions containing Pt, Rh, or Ru) or metal carbonyl catalysts. In the latter case there are at least two possible mechanisms. One of these, which requires external hydrogen, is called the nwtal hydride addition-elimination mechanism ... 

Finally, it must be emphasised that where, in any of the electrocyclic reactions, cycloadditions or sigmatropic rearrangements considered... 

Orbital correlation diagrams are useful for cycloadditions and electrocyclic reactions but not for sigmatropic rearrangements since no element of symmetry is preserved. 

Rearrangement reactions (Miscellaneous) (see also Electrocyclic rearrangements, Sigmatropic rearrangements, Wittig rearrangement)... 

In contrast, applying frontier orbital theory to unimolecular reactions like electrocyclic reactions and sigmatropic rearrangements is inherently contrived, since we have artificially to treat a single molecule as having separate components, in order to have any frontier orbitals at all. Furthermore, frontier orbital theory does not explain why the barrier to forbidden reactions is so high—whenever it has been measured, the transition structure for the forbidden pathway has been 40 kJ mol-1 or more above that for the allowed pathway. Frontier orbital theory is much better at dealing with small differences in reactivity. 

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