Stereoselective, Ruthenium-Photocatalyzed Synthesis of 1,2-Diaminotruxinic Bis-amino Acids from 4-Arylidene-5(4H)-oxazolones

The irradiation of ( Z )-2-phenyl-4-aryliden-5(4 H )-oxazolones 1 in deoxygenated CH 2 Cl 2 at 25 °C with blue light (465 nm) in the presence of [Ru(bpy) 3 ](BF 4 ) 2 (5% mole ratio) as a triplet photocatalyst promotes the [2+2] photocycloaddition of the C═C bonds of the 4-arylidene moiety, thus allowing the completely regio- and stereoselective formation of cyclobutane-bis(oxazolone)s 2 as single stereoisomers. Cyclobutanes 2 have been unambiguously characterized as the μ-isomers and contain two E -oxazolones coupled in an anti -head-to-head form. The use of continuous-flow techniques in microreactors allows the synthesis of cyclobutanes 2 in only 60 min, compared with the 24-48 h required in batch mode. Ring opening of the oxazolone heterocycle in 2 with a base affords the corresponding 1,2-diaminotruxinic bis-amino esters 3 , which are also obtained selectively as μ-isomers. The ruthenium complex behaves as a triplet photocatalyst, generating the reactive excited state of the oxazolone via an energy-transfer process. This reactive excited state has been characterized as a triplet diradical 3 ( E / Z )- 1* by laser flash photolysis (transient absorption spectroscopy). This technique also shows that this excited state is the same when starting from either ( Z )- or ( E )-oxazolones. Density functional theory calculations show that the first step of the [2+2] cycloaddition between 3 ( E/Z )- 1* and ( Z )- 1 is formation of the C(H)-C(H) bond and that ( Z ) to ( E ) isomerization takes place at the 1,4-diradical thus formed.