Reaction
of six-membered cyclic nitronates with disubstituted ketenes
affords hitherto unknown saturated oxazolo[3,2-b][1,2]oxazines
possessing up to four contiguous stereogenic centers. The process
involves a tandem of [3+2]-cycloaddition across the CO bond
of ketene, followed by a spontaneous [1,3]-rearrangement of transient
vinylidene-substituted bicyclic nitrosoacetals. DFT calculations of
the mechanism suggest that the [1,3]-O,C-shift proceeds through a
recyclization of a biradical intermediate formed by an unusually mild
homolytic cleavage of the N–O bond. The resulting products
can be utilized as precursors of other fused 1,2-oxazines derivatives,
in particular 1,2-oxazino-1,2,4-triazin-3-ones.