Factors controlling the alkyne prins cyclization: the stability of dihydropyranyl cations

The relative stability of the intermediates involved in the alkyne Prins cyclization and the competitive 2-oxonia-[3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement was studied. This rearrangement was shown to occur slowly under typical alkyne Prins cyclization conditions when the allenyl oxocarbenium ion that results from the rearrangement is similar to or higher in energy than the starting alkynyl oxocarbenium ion. The formal 2-oxonia-[3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement may be disfavored by destabilizing the resultant allenyl oxocarbenium ion or by stabilizing an intermediate dihydropyranyl cation. The trimethylsilyl group as a substituent at the alkyne and electron-withdrawing groups (CH2Cl and CH2CN) located at the alpha-position to the carbinol center are shown to be effective. DFT calculations suggest that these substituents stabilize the dihydropyranyl cations, thus leading to a more uniform reorganization of the electronic density in the ring, and do not have a direct effect on the formally positively charged carbon atom.