A study of the diels-alder reaction of 3-oxabicyclo[3.3.0]oct-1(5)-ene-2,4-dione with cyclopentadiene and some related dienes

Abstract The reaction of 3-oxabicyclo[3.3.0]oct-l(5)ene-2,4-dione, 2, with cyclopentadiene, 3, 5,5-diethoxycyclopentadiene, 4, and 6,6-dimethylfulvene, 5, is studied. Reaction of 2 and 3 yields the expected endo-adduct, while reaction of 2 and 5 gives a mixture of the endo- and exo-adducts whose ratio is slightly dependent on the reaction conditions. Attractive electrostatic interactions in the transition state leading to the exo-adduct can explain the absence of endo stereoselectivity in the last reaction. Steric factors seem to be responsible for the absence of reaction between 2 and 4. The analysis of the 13C NMR spectra of these adducts and some derived compounds confirms the tentative …