Regioselective Oxidative Ring Opening of Cyclopropyl Silyl Ethers: A Quantum Chemical Study

In contrast to the structurally and configurationally stable alkyl- or aryl-substituted cyclopropyl radical cations, cyclopropyl silyl ethers undergo spontaneous ring opening upon oxidation whereby the endocyclic C-C(OTMS) bond is cleaved with remarkable selectivity. DFT calculations on 1-trimethylsilyloxybicyclo[4.1.0]heptane show that this selectivity arises from the topology of the potential surface of the corresponding radical cation which is initially generated in a very steep region of the potential surface from where the steepest descent leads to cleavage of the endocyclic rather than the lateral C C(OTMS) bond. Cleavage of the lateral bond leads to interesting conformational changes which are explored in detail.