Experiments Towards the Formation of 1,6-Dehydroquadricyclane and Density Functional Calculations on This and Related Molecules

Abstract

1,6-Dibromoquadricyclane (6) was obtained from norbornadiene (11) by hydroboration, oxidation of the diol 12 to the diketone 14 and its conversion into 2,6-dibromonorbornadiene (20) using tribromodioxaphosphole 16b followed by treatment of the mixture 17/18 with potassium tert-butoxide in DMSO and photocyclization of 20. Reaction of 6 with tBuLi (2 equiv.) led to the formation of 1-bromo-6-lithioquadricyclane 7, the NMR spectra of which were observed up to 0°C. 7 did not lose LiBr to give 4, but could be trapped with H2O and chlorotrimethylsilane to give 21e (53%) and 21f (64%). Reaction of 6 with tBuLi (> 4 equiv.) gave rise to 1,6-dilithioquadricyclane (21c), whose NMR spectra could also be recorded. 21c was converted into the corresponding 1,6-disubstituted quadricyclanes with D2O (87%), chlorotrimethylsilane (92%), dimethyl sulfate (55%), methyl chloroformate (45%), iodine monochloride (62%), and p-toluenesulfonyl chloride (48%). − Density functional calculations using the B3LYP-6-31G* level of theory showed that 1,6-dehydroquadricyclane (4) is a local energy minimum in its singlet electronic state. 4 contains a unique structure with 4 condensed cyclopropane units. The parent hydrocarbons 27 and 28, hitherto unknown, are also local energy minima in their singlet electronic states.