Bicyclo[2.1.1]hexanes have become increasingly popular building blocks in medicinal chemistry as bridged scaffolds that provide unexplored chemical space. We herein report a visible light-driven approach to these compounds that relies on an intramolecular crossed [2 + 2] photocycloaddition of styrene derivatives enabled by triplet energy transfer. Bicyclo[2.1.1]hexanes were obtained in good to high yields (19 examples, 61%-quantitative yield) and allowed for further functionalizations by consecutive reactions, thereby opening different pathways to decorate the aliphatic core structure.
Thomas Rigotti, Thorsten Bach. Bicyclo[2.1.1]hexanes by Visible Light-Driven Intramolecular Crossed [2 + 2] Photocycloadditions. Organic letters. 2022 Dec 09;24(48):8821-8825
PMID: 36414533
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