N. Geraghty
Sep 5, 1994
Citations
0
Influential Citations
11
Citations
Journal
Tetrahedron Letters
Abstract
Abstract The rearrangement of 5-oxo-4-oxaspiro[2.3]hexanes (cyclopropanespiro-β-lactones) to 2(5H)-furanones and 2(3H)-furanones is shown to be a general reaction which is promoted by metal catalysts. A mechanism is proposed, involving the novel insertion of a metal species into the OCβ bond of the β-lactone ring, which explains the basic features of the reaction, including its regioselectivity.