Visible light-mediated Smiles rearrangements and annulations of non-activated aromatics.

We report the first examples of radical cation Smiles rearrangements. A series of aryloxy alkylamines underwent spontaneous reaction, with the amino group displacing the ipso-alkoxy group through substitution, at ambient temperature and under photoactivation by visible light in the presence of an acridinium catalyst (5 mol%). The study was extended to 3-(2-methoxyphenyl)propan-1-amine derivatives, which lack an appropriate ipso leaving group. Here, efficient cyclisations resulted in displacement of the methoxy group and formation of tetrahydroquinolines.

Synthesis of 2,6-trans- and 3,3,6-trisubstituted tetrahydropyran-4-ones from Maitland-Japp derived 2H-dihydropyran-4-ones: a total synthesis of diospongin B.

6-Substituted-2H-dihydropyran-4-one products of the Maitland-Japp reaction have been converted into tetrahydropyrans containing uncommon substitution patterns. Treatment of 6-substituted-2H-dihydropyran-4-ones with carbon nucleophiles led to the formation of tetrahydropyran rings with the 2,6-trans-stereochemical arrangement. Reaction of the same 6-substituted-2H-dihydropyran-4-ones with l-Selectride led to the formation of 3,6-disubstituted tetrahydropyran rings, while trapping of the intermediate enolate with carbon electrophiles in turn led to the formation 3,3,6-trisubstituted tetrahydropyran rings. The relative stereochemical configuration of the new substituents was controlled by the stereoelectronic preference for pseudo-axial addition of the nucleophile and trapping of the enolate from the opposite face. Application of these methods led to a synthesis of the potent anti-osteoporotic diarylheptanoid natural product diospongin B.