Effect of Substituents,Solvent, and Temperature on the Reactivity of the Zwitterionic Peroxides Arising from the Photo-Oxygenation of 2-(Methoxymethylidene)- and 2-(Phenoxymethylidene)adamantane

The photo-oxygenation of 2-(methoxymethylidene)adamantane ( 3 ) creates a zwitterionic peroxide which may be captured by acetaldehyde to give the corresponding pair of diastereoisomeric tricyclo3.3.1.1^3,7]decane-2-spiro-6′ -(3′ -methyl-5′ -methoxyl′, 2′, 4′ -trioxanes) ( 4 ). Ease of capture depends strongly on solvent polarity and temperature. When these are low, yields of trioxine are high (～ 80%). Conversely, 1,2-dioxetane formation is favoured at high temperature and solvent polarity. 2-(Phenoxymethylidene)adamantane ( 5 ), on photo-oxygenation, only gives the corresponding 1,2-dioxetene, even in the presence of acetaldehyde. From a Hammett, study of the-oxygenation of the enol ether 5 and p-methoxy, p-methyl, p-chloro and m-chloro derivatives, 9, 11, 13 , and ( 15 ), a good linear relation was found between substituent constants and oxygenation rates which yielded reaction constants (ρ) of 2.59, ?2.40, ?1.09, and ?0.90 in benzene, AcOET, CH₂Cl₂, and MeOH respectively. This data to the formation of a zwitterionic peroxide which enjoys stabilization from its won substituents and by competing solvation and further explains the predominance of dioxetane to the detriment of trioxane formation.