Intramolecular 1,3-dipolar ene reactions of nitrile oxides occur by stepwise 1,1-cycloaddition/retro-ene mechanisms.
Density functional theory studies of intramolecular ene-like (or the so-called 1,3-dipolar ene) reactions between nitrile oxides and alkenes (Ishikawa, T.; Urano, J.; Ikeda, S.; Kobayashi, Y.; Saito, S. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2002, 41, 1586) show that this reaction is a three-step process involving a stepwise carbenoid addition of nitrile oxide to form a bicyclic nitroso compound, followed by a retro-ene reaction of the nitrosocyclopropane intermediate. The competitive reactions, either the intramolecular (3+2) reactions between nitrile oxides and alkenes or the intermolecular dimerizations of nitrile oxides to form furoxans, can overwhelm the intramolecular 1,3-dipolar ene reactions when the tether joining the nitrile oxide and alkene is elongated or some substituents such as trimethylsilyl are absent.
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1569, USA.
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