Heteroatom influence on the pi-facial selectivity of Diels-Alder cycloadditions to 1-oxa-4-thia-6-vinylspiro[4.5]dec-6-ene, 3-methoxy-3-methyl-2-vinylcyclohexene, and 3-methoxy-2-vinylcyclohexene.

The facial selectivities of the Diels-Alder cycloadditions of several dienophiles to the title substrates were studied. The observed selectivities are interpreted as a consequence of the relative steric interactions offered by the substituents. The addition of dimethylacetylene dicarboxylate (DMAD) is influenced by the electrostatic repulsion arising from the interaction of an electron pair orbital on the acetal oxygen and the orthogonal pi-orbital of the acetylene unit in DMAD in the syn-to-oxygen addition of the latter. This repulsion is offset on coordination of Li+ to the said oxygen electron pair orbital, and the addition thus proceeds syn to oxygen. The enhanced and accelerated syn-to-oxygen addition in lithium perchlorate in nitromethane is interpreted as a consequence of the coordination of Li+ to both the acetal oxygen and a heteroatom in the dienophile that brings them in close proximity to facilitate a reaction. The Li+-oxygen combination, however, also exerts some steric effect that results in reduced syn-to-oxygen addition of dienophiles having large substituents such as N-phenylmaleimide.