Thermal and photochemical studies with stilbene oxides intramolecular trapping of carbonyl ylide intermediates

The annelated tetrahydrofuran derivatives 14 and 15, resp., are formed in moderate yield by intramolecular trapping reaction of the carbonyl ylide intermediates 9, which are generated either by thermal ring opening of the trans-stilbene oxides 7t/8t or by photolysis of the cis-isomers 7c/8c.