Stereoselective photocyclization of some phenolic, highly congested benzophenones and benzaldehydes. Use of cis-2-arylbenzocyclobutenol methyl ethers for the synthesis of lignans
作者:Gloria Coll、Antoni Costa、Pere M. Deya、Francina Flexas、Carmen Rotger、Jose M. Saa
DOI:10.1021/jo00049a033
日期:1992.11
Irradiation of some highly congested, phenolic 2-(methoxymethyl)benzophenones provides a rapid, efficient and stereoselective entry to the corresponding 1-aryl-1-hydroxy-2-methoxybenzocyclobutenes in high chemical yield. The analogous photocyclization reaction of phenolic benzaldehydes appears to be more limited in scope. According to semiempirical (AM1) calculations on the thermal ring opening of a large number of benzocyclobutene derivatives, alpha,alpha'-dioxygenated o-quinodimethanes are significantly more stable (5-7 kcal/mol) than the corresponding benzocyclobutene derivatives, thereby suggesting that 1-hydroxy-2-alkoxybenzocyclobutenes are unlikely to be thermally derived from the corresponding o-QDM's during photolysis of o-(methoxymethyl)benzophenones. Hydrogenolysis (H-2, Pd/C) of either the cis or trans isomers of 1-aryl-1-hydroxy-2-methoxybenzocyclobutenes gives rise to cis-trans mixtures of 1-methoxy-2-arylbenzocyclobutenes enriched in the cis isomer. These enriched mixtures undergo thermal isomerization to the desired trans 1-methoxy-2-arylbenzocyclobutenes. The cis-enriched mixture directly derived from the hydrogenolysis step can be used as a precursor of the required (E,E)-alpha-aryl-alpha'-methoxy-o-quinodimethane for the synthesis of lignanes via the intermolecular Diels-Alder approach.