Formation of cyclic ketals from hydroxyalkyl enol ethers, a stereoelectronically controlled endo-trig-cyclization process

Acid-catalyzed cyclic ketal formation vs. hydrolysis of a series of hydroxyalkyl cyclic enol ethers in the presence of 1 equiv. of H2O, and acid-catalyzed cyclic-ketal formation (same ketals as above) vs. methanolysis of a series of mixed pent-4-enyl hydroxyalkyl ketals with N-bromosuccinimide in the presence of 4 equiv. of MeOH led to the same result: the intramolecular cyclization processes occur at similar rates as the intermolecular H2O or MeOH attacks independently of the size of the rings formed (five-, six-, or seven-membered), by cyclizations. These results can be explained by the facts that, due to stereoelectronic effects which impose a torsional strain to the sp(2) hybridized O-atom, the cyclization activation enthalpy decreases, as the length of the hydroxyalkyl chain increase (ease of cyclization: 7 > 6 > 5), whereas the entropy factor favors the cyclization in the reverse fashion (ease of cyclization: 5 > 6 > 7). The various reaction pathways have been examined using the semi-empirical Hamiltonian AMI, and the results obtained confirm that large-ring formation is enthalpically much favored over the cyclization processes leading to small rings (ease of cyclization: 7 > 6 > 5).