Photochemical Wittig reaction of quasi-phosphonium ylides
Abstract
α-(Methoxycarbonyl)benzylidene quasi-phosphonium ylides, which are unreactive toward most carbonyl compounds, are found to undergo the Wittig reaction upon irradiation; irradiation with acyclic carbonyl compounds, e.g. benzaldehydes and acetophenones, afford the corresponding alkenes, whereas the reaction with cyclohexanone affords 1-phenyl-1-(methoxycarbonyl)hepta-1, 2-diene.