Radical [1,3] Rearrangements of Breslow Intermediates

by Alwarsh, Sefat; Xu, Yi; Qian, Steven Y.; McIntosh, Matthias C.

Breslow intermediates that bear radical-stabilizing N substituents, such as benzyl, cinnamyl, and diarylmethyl, undergo facile homolytic C-N bond scission under mild conditions to give products of formal [1,3] rearrangement rather than benzoin condensation. EPR experiments and computational analysis support a radical-based mechanism. Implications for thiamine-based enzymes are discussed.

Journal
Angewandte Chemie-International Edition
Volume
55
Issue
1
Year
2016
Start Page
355-358
URL
https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/anie.201508368
ISBN/ISSN
1521-3773; 1433-7851
DOI
10.1002/anie.201508368