Novel Radical Cation Reactions of Bichromophoric Systems. Transannular Aryl Migrations; Mechanistic and Exploratory Organic Photochemistry^,¹^,²

Abstract

Eight aryl-substituted 1,4-pentadienes were subjected to photochemically induced electron transfer using dicyanonaphthalene and dicyanoanthracene. The radical-cations produced underwent a regioselective cyclization, wherein one electron-deficient aryl group of one diarylvinyl moiety bonds to the beta-carbon of the second diarylvinyl group. A pattern of regioselectivity and reactivity was encountered. As cyclization proceeds, the odd-electron density becomes localized in the benzhydryl side chain while the positive charge becomes localized in the second portion of the molecule. Substitution in one diarylvinyl branch designed to delocalize odd-electron density but destabilize electron deficiency led to higher reactivity than the unsubstituted parent 1,1,5,5-tetraphenyl-3,3-dimethyl-1,4-pentadiene. The benzhydryldihydronaphthalene photoproducts themselves proved photochemically reactive. On sensitization, the benzhydryldihydronaphthalene reacted with a transannular 1,5-migration of one aryl group of the benzhydryl moiety. Where the two benzhydryl aryl groups were different, the cyanophenyl group migrated in preference to phenyl, and both diastereomers led to the same product stereoisomer. Ab initio and semiempirical computations were in accord with the radical cation and triplet regioselectivity.