title: Mechanistic studies on the photochemical deprotection of 3',5'-dimethoxybenzoin esters.
abstract: Several mechanistic alternatives proposed for the photochemical deprotection of dimethoxybenzoin esters are presented. Both experimental and theoretical evidence suggest the mechanism is heterolysis of the singlet excited state to form a carboxylate and the alpha-ketocation. The alpha-ketocation has been observed by transient spectroscopy. We propose the alpha-ketocation undergoes electrocyclization to an intermediate with extended conjugation, whose deprotonation gives the observed benzofuran product. A Brønsted study of the rates of benzofuran formation with dimethoxybenzoin esters derived from acids of varying pKa shows the rate is independent of the basicity of the leaving group. In this multistep reaction, benzofuran formation by a final deprotonation is slower than alpha-ketocation generation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521-0403 USA. michael.pirrung@ucr.edu
authors.forename: Michael C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Pirrung
authors.forename: Tong
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Zheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Simon
mesh_terms: D001573:Benzoin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000528:radiation effects; D007700:Kinetics; D008958:Models, Molecular; D010777:Photochemistry; D013053:Spectrophotometry
chemical_list: D001573:Benzoin