PHOTOOXYGENATION OF 1,2-DIARYLCYCLOPROPANES: FORMATION OF 3,5-DIARYL-1,2-DIOXOLANES VIA PHOTOINDUCED ELECTRON TRANSFER

Article abstract of DOI:10.1246/cl.1983.477

The photooxygenation of electron-rich 1,2-diarylcyclopropanes such as 1,2-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)cyclopropane and 1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-2-phenyl-cyclopropane in the presence of 9,10-dicyanoanthracene (DCA) as a sensitizer in acetonitrile affords trans- and cis-3,5-diaryl-1,2-dioxolanes in high yields.This photooxygenation is initiated by the electron transfer from 1,2-diarylcyclopropanes to the excited singlet DCA, involving the cation radical of cyclopropanes as a key intermediate.