DIASTEREOFACIAL SELECTIVITY IN REACTIONS OF SUBSTITUTED CYCLOHEXYL RADICALS - AN EXPERIMENTAL AND THEORETICAL-STUDY

The diastereofacial selectivity in reactions of a series of alkyl-substituted cyclohexyl radicals has been investigated. In additions of cyclohexyl radicals to alkenes, it has been found that only substituents bound at the olefinic center being attacked by the radical influence the equatorial-axial selectivity. Substituents bound to the radical center or axial substituents-beta to the radical center lead to increased axial attack. Equatorial beta-substituents or axial gamma-substituents increase the amount of equatorial attack. The same trends are observed for halogen and hydrogen abstraction reactions; the amount of axial reaction product is usually somewhat higher than in the addition reactions. The stereoselectivities can be explained with steric and torsional effects very similar to those suggested for nucleophilic addition reactions to cyclohexanones. A MM2 force field has been parameterized to gain further insight into the stereochemistry of the reaction.