Tributyltin hydride-mediated radical cyclisation of carbonyls to form functionalised oxygen and nitrogen heterocycles

The tributyltin hydride-mediated cyclisation of unsaturated ethers and amines bearing an aldehyde or alpha,beta-unsaturated ketone group is reported. Cyclisation proceeds via reversible addition of the tributyltin radical to the carbonyl double bond to form an intermediate O-stannyl ketyl. This nucleophilic radical can add intramolecularly to electron-rich double bonds to form substituted 5- or 6-membered rings. The efficiency of the cyclisation to form, for example, hydroxytetrahydrofurans, chromanols or quinolones, is shown to depend on the nature of the acceptor double bond and also on the stability of the intermediate O-stannyl ketyl. Thus, resonance-stabilised allylic or benzylic O-stannyl ketyl radicals have been shown, for the first time, to have a particular application in slow radical cyclisations leading to butyrolactones or pyrans.