Photochemical Rearrangements and Fragmentations of Alkenes and Polyenes

This article presents a systematic analysis of the numerous intramolecular reactions of electronically excited alkenes categorized according to substance class and reaction type. The rearrangements and fragmentations observed in simple alkenes are usually rediscovered in non‐conjugated and conjugated dienes and polyenes, where they are accompanied by reaction types such as rearrangements involving several double bonds, cyclizations, and intramolecular cycloadditions. Geometrical factors largely determine which reaction of a series of energetically feasible competing processes actually takes place. The industrial syntheses of vitamin D utilize many of the reaction types to be discussed.