Harnessing sun for catalyst and sensitizer free regio- and stereo-selective [2+2] cycloaddition

Presence of cyclobutane rings in bioactive natural products makes them a popular synthetic target. Most common strategy for synthesizing cyclobutanes is [2+2] cycloaddition, which is usually facilitated by using ultraviolet radiation and catalysts. Herein we report the design and synthesis of densely functionalized cyclobutanes by alleviating these drawbacks and using sunlight. Further, we identified the putative mechanism of the transformation based on kinetic, fluorescence and crystallographic studies and evaluated biological activities of the products against MCF7 cell lines. The rational design of the olefinic substrates was based on their UV–vis spectra. The generic aspect of the reaction was elucidated by the syntheses of diverse analogs of cyclobutanes. Further, crystal structures and UV–vis spectra of the olefinic partners assisted us in rationalizing the stereoselectivity of the heterodimers. We believe this energy-efficient mild approach will provide a substantial contribution to the existing repertoire of strategies to regio- and stereoselectively access cyclobutanes.