Photochemical 1,3-stannyl rearrangement of allylic stannanes

Abstract

The photochemical 1,3-stannyl rearrangement of allylic stannanes has been investigated. The photorearrangement of (E)-cinnamyl(triphenyl)stannane is not observed in benzene under anaerobic conditions, while the photoinduced 1,3-stannyl migration takes place in the same solvent under aerobic conditions, or in the presence of organic halides or a radical-trapping agent to give a photoequilibrium mixture of the cinnamylstannane and its branched regioisomer, 1-phenylprop-2-enyl(triphenyl)stannane, with the latter predominating. Cinnamyl(trialkyl)stannanes and their homologues also afford the corresponding branched allylstannanes under similar photochemical conditions. These 1,3-stannyl migrations proceed intramolecularly via cinnamyl π-π* excitation in competition with homolytic (cinnamyl)C–Sn bond fission. In contrast, the 1,3-stannyl migration of crotyl- and prenyl-(tributyl)stannanes is not efficient, but their triphenyl or dibutylphenyl derivatives undergo the 1,3-rearrangement via excitation of the phenyl group(s) on the tin atom to give a regioisomeric mixture of the starting linear tin compounds and the branched ones with the former predominating.