High-Temperature Bromination XIII [1]: Bromination of Dimethyl 7-Oxabicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2,5-diene-2,3dicarboxylate

The electrophilic addition of bromine to dimethyl 7-oxabicyclo2.2.1]hepta-2,5-diene-2,3-dicarboxylate 10 at 0 and –60°C led in high yield to the formation of dibromide 11. However, high-temperature bromination of 10 in carbon tetrachloride at 77°C gave four products 12–15, three of them with nonrearranged skeleton. Similarly, bromination of the dibromides 14 and 15 at 77°C yielded the nonrearranged tetrabromides 13 and 16, respectively. The structure of the tetrabromide 13 was solved by single-crystal X-ray analysis. The formation mechanism is discussed and supported by calculations.