STERIC EFFECTS ON REGIOSELECTIVITY IN 1.3-DIPOLAR CYCLOADDITION OF C,N-DIALKYL NITRONES WITH ACCEPTOR-SUBSTITUTED ALKYNES

The 1.3 dipolar cycloaddition of alkynes 4-6 with acyclic nitrones 1-3, 23 and 24 as well as with cyclic nitrones 27 is studied. As was found for the reaction of the aldonitrones 1-3 an increased portion of 5-regioisomers is formed with increasing steric demand of either of the two substituents, the C-alkyl substituent R2 and the N-alkyl substituent R1. Thus the conclusion is drawn that cycloaddition of 1-3 proceeds not only via transition states arising from Z-nitrones but also via transition states developing from E-nitrones, although in the ground-state the Z-isomer is favored to a considerable extent. In this context steric destabilization of the transition states is discussed qualitatively.