Intramolecular Oxyallyl–Carbonyl (3 + 2) Cycloadditions

Cycloadditions involving oxyallyl intermediates typically require an electron-rich diene or alkene, but we have discovered the first examples of the cycloaddition of heteroatom-stabilized oxyallyls onto carbonyl groups. An oxazolidinone-substituted oxyallyl undergoes chemoselective (3 + 2) cycloaddition onto the carbonyl group of a tethered dienone in preference to formation of the expected (4 + 3) cycloadduct. Density functional theory calculations indicated that the (3 + 2) cycloaddition takes place through a concerted, highly asynchronous mechanism. The transition state features simultaneous interactions of the oxyallyl LUMO with the carbonyl π and lone-pair orbitals, making this reaction "hemipseudopericyclic" (halfway between purely pericyclic and purely pseudopericyclic). Further (3 + 2) cycloadditions involving tethered phenyl ketones and a tethered enone were predicted theoretically and verified experimentally.