Intramolecular Photoarylations of N-(Haloaryl)ethyl β-Enaminones

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/jo00342a021

The photochemistry of several N-(haloaryl)ethyl β-enaminones was investigated in order to develop methods for preparation of tricyclic enaminone systems.The efficiencies of intramolecular photoarylations of the haloaryl systems were found to be dependent upon the wavelength of irradiation.Accordingly, irradiations of the haloaryl β-enaminones 9a,c,d,f with Pyrex-filtered light leads to formation of the reduced N-cyclized and C-cyclized products 9b or 9e, 8a or 8b, and 10a or 10b, respectively.The major products in these processes are the reduced materials.In contrast, irradiations of the bromoaryl enaminones 9c or 9f with Vycor-filtered light results in high yielding conversions to the C-cyclized tricyclic enaminones 10a and 10b in synthetically useful yields ranging from 50percent to 85percent.A discussion of reasons for these wavelength dependencies is given in terms of excited-state discrimination in these bichromophoric systems.Possible reaction mechanisms are considered.The origin of another major product, 11, generated by irradiation of 9f with Vycor-filtered light, is also discussed.