Retention of Configuration in Two Photochemical Reactions: Formation of Cyclopropanimines by Extrusion of Molecular Nitrogen from Tetraalkyl‐4‐imino‐1‐pyrazolines and [2 + 1] Cycloreversion of Cyclopropanimines to Isocyanides and Alkenes

The 1-pyrazolin-4-ones 7 and 9 and the pyrazolidin-4-one 13 are condensed with alkanamines 8 to produce the imines 3,10 and 12 in high yields. Direct irradiation of 3 with 350-nm light at 90°C in deuterated hydrocarbon solvents affords the cyclo-propanimines 4 in almost quantitative yields besides molecular nitrogen and small amounts of the imines 12 as a result of photoreduction. In [D6]acetone, the cyclopropanimine 4b isomerizes in part of the α,β-unsaturated imine 14. Direct irradiation of 3 with the unfiltered light of the high-pressure mercury lamp results in quantitative [2 + 1] cycloreversion of the primary photoproducts 4 into the alkene 6 and an isocyanide 5. At low temperature (10°C), photolysis of 3 occurs much more slowly giving rise to photoextrusion of nitrogen (4) and photoreduction (12) to about the same extent. – Photolysis of the stereochemically labelled iminopyrazolines cis- and trans-10 (d.e. 99%) at 90°C produces the cyclopropanimines cis- and trans-16 (d.e. 94%) with high stereospecificity. The configuration of cis- and trans-16 is established by a comparison with the corresponding methylenecyclopropanes cis- and trans-19 and the quantitative and completely stereospecific [2 + 1] cycloreversion into methyl isocyanide (5a) and the 3,4- dimethyl-3-hexenes (Z)- and (E)-17 on irradiation with the unfiltered light of the mercury arc. The necessity of thermal activation for efficient nitrogen extrusion from the 1(n,π*) state of 3 and 10 is indicative of a considerable energy barrier towards the transition into a dissociative state. At low temperature, hydrogen abstraction from the solvent or other molecules becomes important for the deactivation of the 1(n,π*) state, in addition to decay and fluorescence. The stereospecific formation of cis- and trans-16 is interpreted in terms of diastereomeric bis-orthogonal azatrimethylenemethane diradicals as intermediates which retain the configuration on cyclization. The minor non-stereospecific path may involve mono-orthogonal azatrimethylenemethane diradicals. Thus, mechanisms that involve the same types of diradical intermediates can rationalize the photolysis of the iminopyrazolines 3, 10 and of the methylenetriazoline 1 as well. The [2 + 1] cycloreversion of cis- and trans-16 into the alkenes (Z)- and (E)-17 and methyl isocyanide (5a) demonstrates for the first time that such photoreactions can be entirely stereospecific.