Radical-Cation Vinylcyclopropane Rearrangements by TiO2 Photocatalysis

Radical cation vinylcyclopropane rearrangements by TiO2 photo-catalysis in lithium perchlorate/nitromethane solution are described. The reactions are triggered by oxidative single electron transfer, which is followed by immediate ring-opening of the cyclopropanes to generate distonic radical cations as unique reactive intermediates. This approach can also be applied to vinylcyclobutane, leading to the construction of six-membered rings. A stepwise mechanism via distonic radical cations is proposed based on preliminary mechanistic studies, which is supported by density functional theory calculations.