title: New substituent effects of the trimethylsilyl group: photochemistry of 3-trimethylsilyl-2,5-cyclohexadienones and preparation of 4-alkylidenecyclopentenones.
abstract: The 4-acetoxymethyl-4-alkyl-3-trimethylsilyl-2,5-cyclohexadien-1-ones 9a-g were prepared from methyl 2-trimethylsilylbenzoate by the Birch reduction-alkylation reaction. Type A photorearrangements of 9a-g were regiospecific to give mixtures of two diastereomers of the corresponding 5-trimethylsilylbicyclo[3.1.0]hex-3-en-2-ones 11a-g. These bicyclohexenones are uniquely photostable; the diastereomers do not photointerconvert nor do they undergo the type B photorearrangement. Bicyclohexenones 11a-g undergo acid-catalyzed protiodesilylative rearrangement to give the 4-alkylidene-2-cyclopenten-1-ones 25a-g. It was of interest to find that the 4-(3'-butenyl)-2,5-cyclohexadienone 9e photorearranged to the 5-trimethylsilylbicyclo[3.1.0]hex-3-en-2-one 11e rather than undergoing the intramolecular 2 + 2 photocycloaddition. Furthermore, the 4-acetoxymethyl-3-methoxy-4-methyl-5-trimethylsilyl-2,5-cyclohexadienone 30a did not show type A photobehavior at 366 and 300 nm, while the 4-(3'-butenyl) analogue 30b gave the intramolecular 2 + 2 cycloadduct 31b. The effects of the trimethylsilyl and methoxy substituents on the photochemical reactivity of 2,5-cyclohexadien-1-ones are discussed from the perspective of n --> p* vs pi --> p* character of the triplet states of the dienones.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180-3590, USA.
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Schultz
authors.forename: L O
authors.initials: LO
authors.lastname: Lockwood
mesh_terms: D002384:Catalysis; D003510:Cyclohexanes / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D003517:Cyclopentanes / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D010777:Photochemistry; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D014297:Trimethylsilyl Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D003510:Cyclohexanes; D003517:Cyclopentanes; D014297:Trimethylsilyl Compounds