Cascade Radical Cyclization to Vinylogous Carbonates/Carbamates for the Synthesis of Oxa- and Aza-Angular Triquinanes: Diastereoselectivity Depends on the Ring Size of Radical Precursor

An efficient strategy was developed for the stereoselective construction of oxa- and aza-angular triquinanes employing a cascade 5 - exo - trig radical cyclization to vinylogous carbonates and carbamates. The radical precursors are readily prepared from 2-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopentenone/cyclohexenones. High diastereoselectivity is observed for the formation of angular oxa- and azatriquinanes. Diastereoselectivity drops when six-membered radical precursors are used. The strategy is found to be useful to incorporate synthetically challenging moieties such as spiroindoline, lactone-bearing, and uracil-fused angular triquinanes in a concise manner.