Reciprocal polyhedra and the Euler relationship: cage hydrocarbons, C_nH_n and closo-boranes [B_xH_x]²⁻

• Michael J. McGlinchey and
• Henning Hopf

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2011, 7, 222–233, doi:10.3762/bjoc.7.30

• ] (Scheme 3). Although the yield of the final photolysis step has now been improved somewhat to 15% [12], [3]prismane is still not a conveniently obtainable molecule. Cubane, C8H8, 10 The key step of Eaton's beautiful synthesis of [4]prismane (cubane, 10), shown in Scheme 4, involves the ring contraction of

• expected it to be readily available by photolytic [2 + 2] cycloaddition of hypostrophene, 34, or by extrusion of nitrogen from either 35 or 36, as in Scheme 6 [17][18][19][20]; surprisingly, all these routes were found to be ineffective. Success was finally achieved via ring contraction of a

• manipulation led to the iodo-tosylate 39 which, in the presence of base, generated the homohypostrophene, 40; [2 + 2] cycloaddition then furnished the homopentaprismanone 41. Introduction of a bridge head bromine (with the intent of carrying out a Favorskii ring contraction) proved to be impossible. Instead it

Ene–yne cross-metathesis with ruthenium carbene catalysts

• Cédric Fischmeister and
• Christian Bruneau

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2011, 7, 156–166, doi:10.3762/bjoc.7.22

• cycloheptadienes (Scheme 15) [80]. Starting from 1,5-cyclooctadiene, EYCM also took place with terminal alkynes and the same catalyst, but with this substrate a ring contraction was observed. Conjugated cyclohexa-1,3-dienes were formed in good yields with propargylic and homopropargylic alkynes via methylene-free

• . Ring contraction resulting from EYCM of cyclooctadiene. Preparation of bicyclic products via diene-alkyne cross-metathesis. Ethylene helping effect in EYCM. Stereoselective EYCM in the presence of ethylene. Sequential ethenolysis/EYCM applied to unsaturated fatty acid esters. Sequential ethenolysis

Photocycloaddition of aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes to isoxazoles: Cycloaddition reactivity and stability studies

• Axel G. Griesbeck,
• Marco Franke,
• Jörg Neudörfl and
• Hidehiro Kotaka

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2011, 7, 127–134, doi:10.3762/bjoc.7.18

• the presence of benzaldehyde. Instead, a reaction could be observed which also occurred both in the presence of a tenfold excess of aldehyde or without any aldehyde. This reaction was identified as the intramolecular ring contraction of 7f–h to yield the corresponding azirines 8a–c (Scheme 4) [16

• . Photochemical ring contraction of isoxazoles 7f–7h. Photocycloaddition of aromatic aldehydes to di- and trimethyl isoxazoles 7d and 7e. Preparative photocycloadditions of 7e with aromatic aldehydes. T-type photochromism of isoxazole–aldehyde pairs. Reductive cleavage of the trimethylisoxazole adduct 9a

Synthesis of novel photochromic pyrans via palladium- mediated reactions

• Christoph Böttcher,
• Gehad Zeyat,
• Saleh A. Ahmed,
• Elisabeth Irran,
• Thorben Cordes,
• Cord Elsner,
• Wolfgang Zinth and
• Karola Rueck-Braun

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2009, 5, No. 25, doi:10.3762/bjoc.5.25

• transformations. Synthesis of the 2-bromo-3H-naphtho[2,1-b]pyran 1 and the 3-bromo-2H-1-benzopyrans 2a/b. Ring contraction observed during the cyanation approach towards the synthesis of 3. Palladium-catalyzed Sonogashira-coupling of 2-bromo-3H-naphtho[2,1-b]pyran 1. Palladium-catalyzed cyanation and

Synthesis of spiropyrans: H-abstractions in 3-cycloalkenyloxybenzopyrans

• Satish C. Gupta,
• Mandeep Thakur,
• Somesh Sharma,
• Urmila Berar,
• Surinder Berar and
• Ramesh C. Kamboj

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2007, 3, No. 14, doi:10.1186/1860-5397-3-14

• ), followed by 1,5-H migration in 8a. [21] The spiropyrans 6 (R = H) bearing cyclopropanes are the secondary photoproducts formed as a result of the further reorganization of 5 (R = H), through a ring contraction-ring expansion mechanism. [22][23] The formation of acetylcyclopropane compound 7 (R = CH3) from