Photochemistry in a Crystalline Cage. Control of the Type-B Bicyclic Reaction Course: Mechanistic and Exploratory Organic Photochemistry1,2

Abstract

Our current theories on crystal lattice control of organic photochemistry were subjected to studies of type-B rearrangement of bicyclo[3.1.0]hex-3-en-2-ones. A first finding was that the solid state photochemistry differed dramatically from that in solution. One of our past observations in this bicyclic photochemistry in solution was that the six-membered ring, type B, zwitterion was a ubiquitous intermediate. This intermediate invariably underwent a preferential migration of an aryl group to carbon-2 relative to carbon-4 with formation of a 2,3-disubstituted phenol, a result deriving from electronic effects. In contrast, the crystal lattice photochemistry revealed a regioselectivity depending on the surrounding lattice rather than electronics. Perhaps an even more dramatic difference was an observation of the dependence of reactant stereochemistry. Thus, in solution, for 6,6-disubstituted bicyclics with two different groups at C-6, a common zwitterion is formed and the same photoproduct is formed indepen...