Stereoselective Epoxidation of Cyclohexa-Anellated Triquinacenes with Iodine/Silver(I) Oxide As Compared to m-Chloroperbenzoic Acid(1)

Iodine/silver(I) oxide (I(2)/Ag(2)O) reacts highly stereoselectively in the single, double, and triple anti epoxidation of the spherical 1,4,7-triene, 10-methyl-2,3:5,6:8,9-tris(cyclohexano)triquinacene 1. All of the three epoxides 3, 4, and 5 obtained with this reagent contain the epoxy groups at the convex side of the triquinacene framework. The stereochemical course of the epoxidation with I(2)/Ag(2)O is clearly distinct from that observed with m-chloroperbenzoic acid (MCPBA), which gives the same monoepoxide (3) but exclusively anti,syn di- and triepoxides (6-8) bearing at least one epoxy group at the concave side of the triquinacene framework. Epoxidation of the related three-fold 1,4-cyclohexadiene, tris(cyclohexeno)triquinacene 2, with MCPBA occurs similarly to the conversion of 1, whereas I(2)/Ag(2)O reacts with high regioselectivity at the less electron-rich peripheral double bonds of 2 giving triepoxides 12 and 13. The molecular structure of triepoxide 8 has been elucidated in detail by X-ray crystal structure analysis.