Richard P. Johnson

Vinylogous addition of siloxyfurans to benzopyryliums: a concise approach to the tetrahydroxanthone natural products.

A concise approach to the tetrahydroxanthone natural products employing vinylogous addition of siloxyfurans to benzopyryliums and a late-stage Dieckmann cyclization has been developed. With this methodology, chiral, racemic forms of the natural products blennolides B and blennolide C have been synthesized in a maximum of four steps from a 5-hydroxychromone substrate. The regio- and diastereoselectivity of the vinylogous additions was probed using computational studies, which suggested the involvement of Diels-Alder-like transition states.

Biomimetic Dehydrogenative Diels–Alder Cycloadditions: Total Syntheses of Brosimones A and B†

Passing (H2) Gas Concise syntheses of the natural products brosimones A and B using sequential dehydrogenative Diels-Alder (DHDA) cycloadditions are reported. The syntheses employ either Pt/C-cyclopentene or DDQ to effect dehydrogenation of prenylchalcone substrates in combination with silver nanoparticles (AgNP’s) to promote subsequent Diels-Alder cycloadditions.

Small-ring cyclic cumulenes: Synthesis of a kinetically stable eight membered ring allene

Abstract 1-tert-Butyl-1,2-cycloctadiene is prepared in four steps from cycloheptanone, and is found to be stable to dimerization.

Competing Mechanistic Channels in the Oxidation of Aldehydes by Ozone

The reaction of ozone with aldehydes has been studied intermittently for over 100 years, but its mechanism remains uncertain. Experimental results support two reaction channels: radical abstraction of the acyl hydrogen and addition to form a five-membered ring tetroxolane. We have studied the aldehyde-ozone reaction by DFT and CCSD(T) calculations. CCSD(T)/6-311+G(d,p)//M05-2X)/6-311+G(d,p) calculations predict two competitive pathways for the oxidation of formaldehyde by ozone. Abstraction of the acyl hydrogen by ozone has a barrier of 16.2 kcal/mol, leading to a radical pair, which can combine to form a hydrotrioxide; this species may subsequently decompose to a carboxylic acid and singlet oxygen. In the second reaction channel, addition of ozone to the carbonyl is stepwise, with barriers of 19.1 and 23.0 kcal/mol, leading to a five-membered ring tetroxolane intermediate. This process may be reversible, consistent with earlier observations of isotopic exchange. The two channels connect by an intramolecular hydrogen abstraction. Ring opening of the tetroxolane by an alternate O-O bond cleavage, followed by spin inversion in the resulting diradical intermediate, can give a carbonyl oxide plus (3)O(2). It is also possible that reaction of triplet oxygen with carbonyl oxides can produce ozone by the reverse route. These two stepwise reaction channels, hydrogen abstraction and addition to the C=O bond, explain much of what has been observed in the long history of ozone-aldehyde chemistry. Known reaction rates and the substantial barriers to both channels support an earlier conclusion that aldehyde oxidation by ozone is too slow to be of importance in atmospheric chemistry.

Phenyl Shifts in Substituted Arenes via Ipso Arenium Ions

The isomerization of substituted arenes through ipso arenium ions is an important and general molecular rearrangement that leads to interconversions of constitutional isomers. We show here that the superacid trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (TfOH), ca. 1 M in dichloroethane (DCE), provides reliable catalytic reaction conditions for these rearrangements, easily applied at ambient temperature, reflux (84 °C), or in a microwave reactor for higher temperatures. Interconversion of terphenyl isomers in TfOH/DCE at 84 °C gives an ortho/meta/para equilibrium ratio of 0:65:35, nearly identical to values reported earlier by Olah with catalysis by AlCl(3). For the three triphenylbenzenes, TfOH-catalyzed equilibration strongly (>95%) favors the 1,3,5-triphenyl isomer. Equilibration of the three possible tetraphenylbenzenes gives a 61:39 mixture of the 1,2,3,5- and 1,2,4,5-substituted isomers. Under the reaction conditions explored, none of these structures undergoes significant Scholl cyclization. DFT calculations with inclusion of solvation support a mechanistic scheme in which all of the phenyl migrations occur among a series of ipso arenium ions. In every case studied, the preferred isomers at equilibrium are those that yield highly stable cations by the most exothermic, hence least reversible 1,2-H shift.

Intramolecular thermal cyclotrimerization of an acyclic triyne: An uncatalyzed process

Abstract Flash vapor pyrolysis of 1,6,11-dodecatriyne at 500 to 600 °C and 0.01 torr affords 1,2,3,6,7,8-Hexahydro- [as] -indacene and dehydro derivatives. An uncatalyzed and highly exothermic two-step cycloaromatization mechanism is suggested. This proceeds through initial formation of a 1,4-diradical.

Thermal Rearrangements of 2-Ethynylbiphenyl: A DFT Study of Competing Reaction Mechanisms

Mechanistic pathways for high-temperature rearrangements of 2-ethynylbiphenyl have been investigated by calculations at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level of theory, with free energy estimates at 625 degrees C. Two different routes for high temperature thermal rearrangement can lead to phenanthrene, which was the major product observed by Brown and co-workers (J. Chem. Soc. Chem. Commun. 1974, 123). 1,2-Hydrogen shift (Hopf type B mechanism) affords a vinylidene which proceeds to the major product by sequential electrocyclic closure and a 1,2-shift, rather than the expected aryl C-H insertion. Alternatively, insertion of the vinylidene into a ring double bond would lead directly to the observed minor product, benzazulene. Along a competitive pathway, electrocyclic closure to an isophenanthrene is predicted to be nearly isoenergetic. This intermediate should have a planar allene structure, with substantial diradical character. Sequential hydrogen shifts lead to phenanthrene but with higher cumulative barriers than for the vinylidene route. Calculation of 625 degrees C free energies shows that the carbene mechanism is of lower energy, primarily because of the lower entropic cost. Predictions are made for the unusually facile hydrogen atom dissociation from isoaromatics at high temperature, a consequence of aryl radical formation. Isophenanthrene, isobenzene (1,2,4-cyclohexatriene) and several isonaphthalenes are also predicted to have unusually low C-H bond dissociation energies. Potential significance as a source of aryl radicals in high temperature and combustion chemistry is discussed.

Cumulene photochemistry: singlet and triplet photorearrangements of 1,2-cyclononadiene

Obtention du bicyclo [6.1.0] nonene-1(9), du tricyclo [4.3.0.0 2,9 ] nonane et du cyclononyne comme produits majoritaires par photolyse directe. Obtention par photolyse sensibilisee du tricyclo [4.3.0.0 2,9 ] nonane, du bicyclo [4.3.0] nonene-1(9), du cis-bicyclo [4.3.0] nonene-2 et du bicyclo [4.3.0] nonene-1(2). Mecanismes

New Thermal Routes to ortho-Benzyne

There is experimental evidence that intermediate ortho-benzynes can be made by intramolecular [2 + 4] cycloaddition of a 1,3-diyne with an alkyne. Computations by several groups support a concerted mechanism for the cycloaddition of butadiyne with acetylene. High temperature benzyne cycloreversion has also been demonstrated experimentally; this may in fact be a common reaction in hydrocarbon fuel combustion. Following leads from earlier pyrolysis experiments, herein we predict that cycloaddition of benzyne with butadiyne can proceed by a stepwise mechanism to 2,3-naphthyne. However, a slightly lower energy path leads to a benzocyclobutadiene. ortho-Benzyne can be generated by solution-phase and solid-phase reaction in a microwave reactor. We have developed the method of microwave flash pyrolysis (MFP) for high temperature solid-phase microwave reactions. MFP reaction of phthalic anhydride, a classic benzyne precursor, results in a typical suite of products expected from a relatively high concentration of benzyne.

Reaction Discovery Employing Macrocycles: Transannular Cyclizations of Macrocyclic Bis-lactams

Macrocyclic bis-lactams have been synthesized by cyclodimerization of homoallylic amino esters employing a Zr(IV)-catalyzed ester-amide exchange protocol. Base-mediated transannular cyclizations have been identified to access both bicyclic [5-11] and tricyclic [5-8-5] frameworks in good yield and diastereoselectivity. Preliminary mechanistic studies support an olefin isomerization-intramolecular conjugate addition pathway.