10.1016/j.tet.2010.07.004
The research discusses the reactions of vinylidenecyclopropanes (VDCPs) with xanthydrol and xanthene, exploring their ring-opening reactions under specific conditions to yield conjugate triene derivatives. The study aimed to investigate the effects of different substituents on the reaction outcomes and to propose plausible reaction mechanisms based on previous literature and control experiments. The researchers used BF3·OEt2 as a catalyst with xanthydrol and DDQ with xanthene, conducting the reactions in 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE) at 0°C. The reactions resulted in moderate to good yields of conjugate triene derivatives, which were further transformed into novel spiro-alkanes using BF3·OEt2 at 70°C. The study concluded that these reactions provided a versatile method for synthesizing complex molecular structures and shed light on the reaction mechanisms involved, with further work underway to elucidate the mechanistic details and determine the scope and limitations of the reaction.