Functionalized Cyclopentenes via the Formal [4+1] Cycloaddition of Photogenerated Siloxycarbenes from Acyl Silanes

J Org Chem. 2022 Jul 15;87(14):8910-8920. doi: 10.1021/acs.joc.2c00591. Epub 2022 Jun 23.

Abstract

This work describes the first formal cycloaddition reaction of photogenerated nucleophilic carbenes derived from acylsilanes with electrophilic dienes. The resulting transient donor-acceptor cyclopropane rearranges to its stable and highly functionalized cyclopentene isomer in an unprecedented metal-free process. The cyclopropanation-vinyl cyclopropane rearrangement sequence was corroborated by computational calculations. The cyclopropane formation corresponds to a higher energetic barrier, and the vinylcyclopropane-cyclopentene rearrangement proceeds through different mechanisms, although of comparable energies, depending on the stereochemistry of the cyclopropane.