title: Photoreactions of 3-diazo-3H-benzofuran-2-one; dimerization and hydrolysis of its primary photoproduct, a quinonoid cumulenone: a study by time-resolved optical and infrared spectroscopy.
abstract: Light-induced deazotization of 3-diazo-3H-benzofuran-2-one (1) in solution is accompanied by facile (CO)-O bond cleavage yielding 6-(oxoethenylidene)-2,4-cyclohexadien-1-one (3), which appears with a rise time of 28 ps. The expected Wolff-rearrangement product, 7-oxabicyclo[4.2.0]octa-1,3,5-trien-8-ylidenemethanone (4), is not formed. The efficient light-induced formation of the quinonoid cumulenone 3 opens the way to determine the reactivity of a cumulenone in solution. The reaction kinetics of 3 were monitored by nanosecond flash photolysis with optical (lambda(max) approximately 460 nm) as well as Raman (1526 cm(-1)) and IR detection (2050 cm(-)(1)). Remarkably, the reactivity of 3 is that expected from its valence isomer, the cyclic carbene 3H-benzofuran-2-one-3-ylidene, 2. In aqueous solution, acid-catalyzed addition of water forms the lactone 3-hydroxy-3H-benzofuran-2-one (5). The reaction is initiated by protonation of the cumulenone on its beta-carbon atom. In hexane, cumulenone 3 dimerizes to isoxindigo ((E)-[3,3']bibenzofuranylidene-2,2'-dione, 7), coumestan (6H-benzofuro[3,2-c][1]benzopyran-6-one, 8), and a small amount of dibenzonaphthyrone ([1]benzopyrano[4,3-][1]benzopyran-5,11-dione, 9) at a nearly diffusion-controlled rate. Ab initio calculations (G3) are consistent with the observed data. Carbene 2 is predicted to have a singlet ground state, which undergoes very facile, strongly exothermic (irreversible) ring opening to the cumulenone 3. The calculated barrier to formation of 4 (Wolff-rearrangement) is prohibitive. DFT calculations indicate that protonation of 3 on the beta-carbon is accompanied by cyclization to the protonated carbene 2H(+), and that dimerization of 3 to 7 and 9 takes place in a single step with negligible activation energy.
authors.affiliation: The Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada. AKresge@chem.utoronto.ca
authors.forename: Yvonne
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.forename: Martin
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authors.lastname: Gaplovsky
authors.forename: A Jerry
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Kresge
authors.forename: King Hung
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authors.forename: Christian
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authors.lastname: Ley
authors.forename: Marek
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authors.lastname: Mac
authors.forename: Gabriele
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authors.lastname: Persy
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
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authors.lastname: Popik
authors.forename: Christoph
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authors.lastname: Rödig
authors.forename: Jakob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wirz
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhu