Stereoselective, Ruthenium-Photocatalyzed Synthesis of 1,2-Diaminotruxinic Bis-amino Acids from 4‑Arylidene-5(4H)‑oxazolones

The irradiation of (Z)-2-phenyl-4-aryliden-5­(4H)-oxazolones 1 in deoxygenated CH2Cl2 at 25 °C with blue light (465 nm) in the presence of [Ru­(bpy)3]­(BF4)2 (5% mole ratio) as a triplet photocatalyst promotes the [2+2] photocycloaddition of the CC bonds of the 4-arylidene moiety, thus allowing the completely regio- and stereoselective formation of cyclobutane-bis­(oxazolone)­s 2 as single stereoisomers. Cyclobutanes 2 have been unambiguously characterized as the μ-isomers and contain two E-oxazolones coupled in an anti-head-to-head form. The use of continuous-flow techniques in microreactors allows the synthesis of cyclobutanes 2 in only 60 min, compared with the 24–48 h required in batch mode. Ring opening of the oxazolone heterocycle in 2 with a base affords the corresponding 1,2-diaminotruxinic bis-amino esters 3, which are also obtained selectively as μ-isomers. The ruthenium complex behaves as a triplet photocatalyst, generating the reactive excited state of the oxazolone via an energy-transfer process. This reactive excited state has been characterized as a triplet diradical 3(E/Z)-1* by laser flash photolysis (transient absorption spectroscopy). This technique also shows that this excited state is the same when starting from either (Z)- or (E)-oxazolones. Density functional theory calculations show that the first step of the [2+2] cycloaddition between 3(E/Z)-1* and (Z)-1 is formation of the C­(H)–C­(H) bond and that (Z) to (E) isomerization takes place at the 1,4-diradical thus formed.