| Abstract: | The diazirine 1 , upon thermolysis or photolysis in either acetone or cyclohexanone, at different concentrations, yield the spiro epoxides 2 and 3 , and 4 and 5 , respectively (Scheme 1). Yield of 2 and 3 depended both on the temperature and the concentration, and correlated inversely with the yield of the major by-product, the enol-derived glycoside 6 . Other by-product were the benzyloxglycal 7 and the lactone azines 8 . ZnCl2-Promoted methanolysis of 2 under mild condition yielded mixture of the uloside 9 and 10 (1.2:1); similarly, 4 yielded 11 and 12 (1.8:1; Scheme 2). More strongly acidic conditions converted 11 into 12 , evidencing that ZnCl2-promoted methanolysis proceeds under kinetic control, which is rationalized. The diazirine 13 , upon thermolysis of Photolysis in either acetone of cyclohexanone, yielded the α-D -configurated spiro epoxides 14 and 16 , and the α-D -configurated dihydrooxazoles 15 and 17 , respectively (Scheme 3), which are either formed by ring-opening of ß-D -epoxides, by competitive interception of the initially formed, hypothetical addition products of the intermediate carbene to the ketones. The glycosylidene carbenes, derived from 1 or 13 are not very reactive towards ketones, yields are good only when sterically unhindered ketones are used in large excess. |
