The crystal structure of the inclusion compound between cycloveratril, benzene and water

Total synthesis of (-)-cylindrocyclophanes A and F exploiting the reversible nature of the olefin cross metathesis reaction

Efficient total syntheses of the C(2)-symmetric (-)-cylindrocyclophanes A and F (1a and 1f) have been achieved. The initial strategy featured the use of a common advanced intermediate to assemble in stepwise fashion the required macrocycle of 1f, exploiting in turn a Myers reductive coupling followed by ring-closing metathesis. In a second-generation strategy, a remarkable cross olefin metathesis dimerization cascade was discovered and exploited to assemble the requisite [7,7]-paracyclophane macrocycles of both 1a and 1f from dienyl monomers. The successful syntheses also featured the effective use of the Danheiser annulation to construct substrates for both the Myers reductive coupling and the metathesis dimerizations strategies. Finally, the Kowalski two-step chain homologation of esters to siloxyalkynes proved superior over the original one-step protocol.

Medium-sized cyclophanes. Part 53.1 Synthesis and conformational studies, and photoinduced cyclization of syn-[n.2]metacyclophanenes

A series of [n.2]metacyclophanenes (3) and (6) were prepared in good yields by a McMurry cyclization of 1,n-bis(3-acetyl-4-methoxyphenyl)alkanes (2) and 1,3-bis(3-formyl-4-methoxyphenyl)propane (5), respectively. Compounds 3b, 3c exist in the syn-conformation due to the steric repulsion between the methyl groups at the ethano bridge and the methoxy groups at the aromatic rings while compound 6 prefers the anti-conformation typical of [3.2]metacyclophanes. The assignment of syn-conformations has been confirmed by 1H NMR analyses and X-ray diffraction studies. Photoinduced transannular cyclization of [n.2]metacyclophanenes (3) and (6) in the presence of iodine as an oxidant afforded phenanthrene-anellated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Apparently, the rate of the photocyclization of anti-6 was found to be much faster than that of syn-3b and almost completed within 1 h. Thus, the different reactivities for the irradiation of syn- and anti-conformer were observed. The reason for the present preference for the formation of trans-dihydrophenanthrene rather than cis-dihydrophenanthrene as the intermediate might be attributable to the more stable chair form transition state than boat one and the conformational fixation to the chair form in the ground and transition state is possible in the anti-conformer.Key words: cyclophanes, strained molecule, McMurry reaction, C—C coupling, conformation analysis, cyclizations, photolysis, transannular reactions, transition states.