T. Y. Fu, J. Scheffer, J. Trotter
Sep 1, 1994
Citations
0
Influential Citations
10
Citations
Journal
Canadian Journal of Chemistry
Abstract
In order to provide experimental evidence on the stereoelectronic requirements for intramolecular hydrogen atom abstraction by carbonyl oxygen, N-(tert-butyl)succinimide, 1, was investigated by the crystal structure – reactivity correlation method. In this method, the success or failure of a given reaction in the crystalline state is correlated with the geometric parameters associated with the process as determined by X-ray crystallography. In the case of N-(tert-butyl)succinimide, the crystal and molecular structure shows that the molecule adopts a conformation in which there are very close contacts (d = 2.17–2.24 A) between the carbonyl oxygen atoms and certain γ-hydrogen atoms on the tert-butyl group. In accord with these close contacts, ultraviolet irradiation of N-(tert-butyl)succinimide in the crystalline state leads to transfer of one of the γ-hydrogen atoms from carbon to oxygen. This produces a 1,4-biradical which closes to form a cyclobutanol, and the cyclobutanol undergoes ring opening to affor...