Photoinitiated domino reactions: N-(adamantyl)phthalimides and N-(adamantylalkyl)phthalimides

Phthalimides 1-6 undergo photochemical reactions upon direct irradiation as well as triplet sensitization and give rise to new products. Besides formation of the primary photoproducts, the first photochemical step initiates a subsequent thermal domino reaction or a domino sequence of a thermal and a photochemical reaction. The latter, involving two photochemical intramolecular gamma-H abstractions, was observed with phthalimides 1, 3, and 6 and delivered stereospecifically the hexacyclic benzazepine products 12, 19, and 27, respectively. The lowest triplet states of 1-6 were characterized in several solvents upon direct and acetone-sensitized excitation. The intermolecular electron transfer from triethylamine and DABCO was studied, and the radical anions were observed. Electrochemical measurements showed that intramolecular electron transfer from the adamantyl group of 1-6 to the lowest triplet state of the phthalimides is not feasible. The formation of products can be explained by intramolecular H-abstraction from the (alkyl)adamantane to the excited phthalimide, either from the excited singlet state or a hidden upper excited triplet state.

Stereospecific 1,3-migration of an Fe(CO)3 group on acyclic conjugated polyenes: application to remote and iterative asymmetric induction

The stereochemical outcome of the 1,3- and 1,5-migration of an Fe(CO)3 group on (acyclic polyene)Fe(CO)3 complexes and their application to stereoselective construction of remote and contiguous stereogenic centers are described. Treatment of the [(eta(4)-4-7)triene]Fe(CO)3 complexes 1a-d bearing an electron-withdrawing group on the terminal position of an uncomplexed olefin with a base such as KN(SiMe3)2 (KHMDS) and LiCH2CN induced the 1,3-migration reaction of the Fe(CO)3 group, giving the [(eta4-2-5)triene]Fe(CO)3 complexes 2a-d in moderate to good yields, depending on the electron-withdrawing groups. From an experiment using the chiral (trienenitril)Fe(CO)3 complex 5, it is revealed that the 1,3-migration proceeds with inversion of configuration. Similarly, the 1,5-migration reaction of the[(eta4-6-9)tetraenone]Fe(CO)3 complexes 9 occurred with a catalytic amount of KHMDS, giving the [(eta4-2-5)tetraenone]Fe(CO)3 complexes 10 with retention of configuration. Furthermore, we have succeeded in the first regio- and stereoselective nucleophilic substitution of the (3,5-diene-1,2-diol) Fe(CO)3 complexes (15 --> 24a-h) with various nucleophiles via the ortho esters 21. By using iterative manipulation of the above two reactions, remote stereocontrol of the terminal substituents on acyclic polyene (9 --> 12) and construction of contiguous stereogenic centers (19, 28) have been achieved.