N-heterocyclic carbene mediated activation of tetravalent silicon compounds: a critical evaluation

Matthew J Fuchter1

  • 1Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, South Kensington, London SW7 2AZ, UK. m.fuchter@imperial.ac.uk

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Photochemical Electrocyclic Reactions: Stereochemistry01:26

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The absorption of UV–visible light by conjugated systems causes the promotion of an electron from the ground state to the excited state. Consequently, photochemical electrocyclic reactions proceed via the excited-state HOMO rather than the ground-state HOMO. Since the ground- and excited-state HOMOs have different symmetries, the stereochemical outcome of electrocyclic reactions depends on the mode of activation; i.e., thermal or photochemical.
Selection Rules: Photochemical Activation
Cycloaddition Reactions: MO Requirements for Photochemical Activation01:12

Cycloaddition Reactions: MO Requirements for Photochemical Activation

Some cycloaddition reactions are activated by heat, while others are initiated by light. For example, a [2 + 2] cycloaddition between two ethylene molecules occurs only in the presence of light. It is photochemically allowed but thermally forbidden.
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