Photochemical Transformationos of Protonated Phenols. A One-Step Synthesis of Umbellulone from Thymol

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/jo00220a011

UV irradiation of thymol (7) at 254 or 300 nm in trifluoromethanesulfonic acid affords ten products, eight of which have been isolated and characterized.Four competitive processes are suggested to be operating in the formation of the photoproducts: (i) regioselective type A rearrangement leading to umbellulone (8, about 10percent, (ii) formal C2->C3 migration by type A rearrangement and ring opening which affords the principal products, 3-isopropyl-5-methylphenol (12, 17percent), (iii) intermolecular transalkylation leading to diisopropylphenols 13-15 (17percent), and (iv) formation ofpiperitenone (10, 5percent) initiated by hydrogen abstraction.A mechanism for the formation of 10 is proposed.Both para- and ortho-protonated 7 are suggested to be involved in product formation.