Photoinduced Copolymerization and Cycloaddition of 2,3-Dimethyl-1,3-butadiene and Acrylonitrile

Triplet Energy Transfer from Ruthenium Complexes to Chiral Eniminium Ions: Enantioselective Synthesis of Cyclobutanecarbaldehydes by [2+2] Photocycloaddition

Chiral eniminium salts, prepared from α,β-unsaturated aldehydes and a chiral proline derived secondary amine, underwent, upon irradiation with visible light, a ruthenium-catalyzed (2.5 mol %) intermolecular [2+2] photocycloaddition to olefins, which after hydrolysis led to chiral cyclobutanecarbaldehydes (17 examples, 49-74 % yield), with high diastereo- and enantioselectivities. Ru(bpz)3 (PF6 )2 was utilized as the ruthenium catalyst and laser flash photolysis studies show that the catalyst operates exclusively by triplet-energy transfer (sensitization). A catalytic system was devised with a chiral secondary amine co-catalyst. In the catalytic reactions, Ru(bpy)3 (PF6 )2 was employed, and laser flash photolysis experiments suggest it undergoes both electron and energy transfer. However, experimental evidence supports the hypothesis that energy transfer is the only productive quenching mechanism. Control experiments using Ir(ppy)3 showed no catalysis for the intermolecular [2+2] photocycloaddition of an eniminium ion.

Facile Synthesis and Palladium-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling Reactions of 2,3-Bis(pinacolatoboryl)-1,3-butadiene

Treatment of 1,1-bis(pinacolatoboryl)ethene with an excess of 1-bromo-1-lithioethene gave 2,3-bis(pinacolatoboryl)-1,3-butadiene in high yield. Palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling of the resulting diborylbutadiene with aryl iodides took place smoothly in the presence of a catalytic amount of Pd(OAc)2/PPh3 and aqueous KOH to give 2,3-diaryl-1,3-butadienes in good yields. The coupling reaction with commercially available 4-acetoxyphenylmethyl chloride under the same conditions followed by hydrolysis of the acetyl groups gave anolignan B in a one-pot manner. A variety of [3]- to [6]dendralenes were synthesized by palladium-catalyzed coupling of the diene or 1,1-bis(pinacolato)borylethene with alkenyl or dienyl halides, respectively, in good yields.