Silver-catalyzed ring rearrangement

This silver-catalyzed ring rearrangement could be explained by preferential interaction of the silver cation with the most substituted edge of the cyclopropane to form an argento cation. In the latter, the presence of C-Si or Ge bond with the right orientation stabilized the cation sufficiently so that it classically evolved through (3-H... 

Silver(I) ions generally catalyze the rearrangement of strained polycyclic systems which contain cyclopropane groups. It was shown, however, that silver(I) cleaved one or two of the strained cyclopropane bonds in quadricyclane (13) in an oxidation reaction. A complex mixture was obtained on treatment of quadricyclane (13) with silver(I) trifluoroacetate. The main addition products contained two oxygen functions and one intact cyclopropane ring." °... 

O-isopropylidene derivative (57) must exist in pyridine solution in a conformation which favors anhydro-ring formation rather than elimination. Considerable degradation occurred when the 5-iodo derivative (63) was treated with silver fluoride in pyridine (36). The products, which were isolated in small yield, were identified as thymine and l-[2-(5-methylfuryl)]-thymine (65). This same compound (65) was formed in high yield when the 5 -mesylate 64 was treated with potassium tert-hx Xy -ate in dimethyl sulfoxide (16). The formation of 65 from 63 or 64 clearly involves the rearrangement of an intermediate 2, 4 -diene. In a different approach to the problem of introducing terminal unsaturation into pento-furanoid nucleosides, Robins and co-workers (32,37) have employed mild base catalyzed E2 elimination reactions. Thus, treatment of the 5 -tosylate (59) with potassium tert-butylate in tert-butyl alcohol afforded a high yield of the 4 -ene (60) (37). This reaction may proceed via the 2,5 ... 

This sequence has been shown because there are examples known of substituted olefins being cyclized to cyclobutane derivatives by certain transition metal complexes (Schrauzer Heimbach, Jolly and Wilke °W). In addition, metal complexes will catalyze the opening of cyclobutane rings to olefins and other rearranged products, as shown particularly by Cassar, Eaton and Halpern f). It is likely that the sequence shown in Fig. 15, both forward and reverse, is the mechanism for many of these reactions. Metal ions such as silver(I) which do not undergo oxidation readily probably involve a different mechanism (Paquette 2a) Gassmann 2b)). 

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