Oxazolidinone-functionalized enecarbamates react stereoselectively with singlet oxygen to give methyldesoxybenzoin (MDB) in moderate to high enantiomeric excess. The stereochemical outcome depends on the E/Z substrate geometry, temperature, and solvent variables. The analysis of the differential activation parameters suggests a large contribution from the entropy term in determining the enantioselectivity. We demonstrate the utility of the temperature and solvent variables in determining the degree of the photochemical kinetic resolution of the enecarbamates; for example, in the photooxygenation at −70 °C in methanol, MDB may be obtained in methanol.

Dye-exchanged Y zeolite is shown to be an effective medium to control the stereoselectivity in the photooxygenation of chiral oxazolidinone-functionalized Z/E-1 enecarbamates. An enantioselectivity (ee) as high as 80% was observed in the methyldesoxybenzoin (MDB) product, obtained in the methylene-blue-exchanged NaY zeolite at room temperature. The efficacy of the asymmetric induction in the MDB product depends on the Z/E geometry of the alkene, the Z-isomer being more effective than the corresponding E-isomer. The stereoselectivity is rationalized in terms of conformational effects through cationic interactions between the zeolite and the substrate.

We report the first detection of triplet alkyl nitrenes in fluid solution by laser flash photolysis of alpha-azido acetophenone derivatives, 1. Alphazides 1 contain an intramolecular triplet sensitizer, which ensures formation of the triplet alkyl nitrene by bypassing the singlet nitrene intermediate. At room temperature, azides 1 cleave to form benzoyl and methyl azide radicals in competition with triplet energy transfer to form triplet alkyl nitrene. The major photoproduct 3 arises from interception of the triplet alkyl nitrene with benzoyl radicals. The triplet alkyl nitrene intermediates are also trapped with molecular oxygen to yield the corresponding 2-nitrophenylethanone. Laser flash photolysis of 1 reveals that the triplet alkyl nitrenes have absorption around 300 nm. The triplet alkyl nitrenes were further characterized by obtaining their UV and IR spectra in argon matrices. (13)C and (15)N isotope labeling studies allowed us to characterize the C-N stretch of the nitrene intermediate at 1201 cm(-)(1).

A new system for catalytic arylation and alkenylation of alkane segments has been developed. The ortho-tert-butylaniline substrates and 2-pivaloylpyridine may be arylated and alkenylated at the tert-butyl group, while no functionalization occurred at more reactive C-H and other bonds. Arylation and alkenylation of these substrates are achieved in the presence of Ph2Si(OH)Me and Ph-CH=CH-Si(OH)Me2, respectively, and the catalytic amount of Pd(OAc)2 and stoichiometric oxidant (Cu(OAc)2, 2 equiv) in DMF. In contrast, the ortho-i-propylaniline substrate underwent cyclopalladation, but no arylation product was obtained. Complex compound 14 was synthesized via tandem arylation-alkenylation of tert-butylaniline 11. We hypothesize that the high selectivity of this system stems from the confluence of directing effect of the Schiff base or pyridine moiety and unique reactivity properties of a phenyl-palladium acetate species (Ph-Pd-OAc.Ln).