Chemistry of 8-Substituted 1-Naphtylmethylenes and 2-Substituted Benzylidenes. A simple Entry to 1H-Cyclobutanaphthalenes

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/ja00357a021

Study has been made of neighobing heteroatom interaction in thermolysis and photolysis of proximally substituted aryldiazomethanes.Thus, (8-bromo-1-naphthyl)diazomethane (1c) isomerize at 132 deg C to 9-bromo- (18a), 9-iodo- (18b), and 6,9-dichloro-3H-benzindazoles (18c).Indazoles 18a and 18b are reduced by lithium aluminum hydride to 3H-benzindazole (21), identical with that from decomposition of N-(1-methyl-2-naphthyl)-N-nitrosoacetamide (19). 1-Naphthyldiazomethane (1e) does not isomerize however to 21; in benzene at -78 deg c, 1e converts to trans-bis(1-naphthyl)ethylene (22b), 1-naphthalzine (26), and 7-(1-naphthyl)cycloheptatriene (24) wich rearranges to 1-(1-naphthyl)cycloheptatriene (25) whean heated.Irradiation of 1a in ethyl ether results in trans-bis(8-bromo-1-naphthyl)ethylene (22c) and 1-bromo-1Hcyclobutanaphthalene (4a), the first aryne bridged in its peri positions by a single carbon atom moiety.Aqueous silver nitrate converts 4a tp 1H-cyclobutanaphthyl nitrate (4b) and 1-naphthaldehyde (28), presumably by ring opening of 1-hydroxy-1H-cyclobutanaphhtalene (27).Reaction of 4a with magnesium and hydrolysis of the resulting Grignard reagent yield 1H-cyclobutanaphthalene (4d), a hydrocarbon acid wich udergoes deuterium exchange at C-1 considerably slower than to acenaphthene (29) and diphenylmethane (30).Thermolysis and photolysis of <8-(methylthio)-1-naphthyl>diazomethane (1d) to give 2-methyl-2H-naphtho<1,2-cd>thiophene (33) are of note in that methylthio participation in 8-(methylthio)-1-naphthylidene (2d) and thia-Stevens rearrangement appear to be involved. (o-Iodophenyl)diazomethane (5a) thermolyzes to trans-bis(o-iodophenyl)ethylene and o-iodobenzalazine (36); products of reaction of the iodine moiety with the carbenic center in o-iodobenzylidene (6a) were not found.Thermolysis however of (o-(methylthio)phenyl)diazpmethane (5b) results in inrtamolecular C-H insertion to yield 4,5-dihydrothiophene (37) along with trans-bisethylene (38) and o-(methylthio)benzalazine(39).Intermolecular carbenic interception does occur in photolysis of 5b iin that 2-(2-ethoxy-1-propyl)thioanisole (40) is formed along with 398 and 39.The mechanisms of the various participation processes in the above substituted 1-naphthylidenes are discussed.