Chemoselective [2 + 2]/[3 + 2] Photocycloaddition of 1,4-Dihydropyridines: Experimental and Theoretical Investigation

The photocycloaddition of 1,4-dihydropyridines (1,4-DHPs) is a main approach to synthesize structurally complex compounds, which are important intermediates for the preparation of cage compounds, such as 3,9-diazatetraasterane, 3,6-diazatetraasterane, 3,9-diazatetracyclododecane, and 6,12-diazaterakishomocubanes. The acquisition of different cage compounds depended on the chemoselectivity, which is mainly caused by the reaction conditions and structural characteristics of 1,4-DHPs. This study aimed to investigate the effect of the structural characteristics on chemoselectivity in [2 + 2]/[3 + 2] photocycloaddition of 1,4-DHPs. The photocycloadditions were conducted on the 1,4-diaryl-1,4-dihydropyridine-3-carboxylic ester with steric hindrance groups at the C3 position or chirality at the C4 position irradiated by a 430 nm blue LED lamp. When the 1,4-DHPs contained high steric hindrance groups at the C3 position, [2 + 2] photocycloaddition was the main reaction, resulting in 3,9-diazatetraasteranes with a yield of 57%. Conversely, when the 1,4-DHPs were resolved to a chiral isomer, the main reaction was [3 + 2] photocycloaddition, producing 6,12-diazaterakishomocubanes with a yield of 87%. To investigate the chemoselectivity and understand the photocycloaddition of 1,4-DHPs, density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TDDFT) calculations were performed at the B3LYP-D3/def-SVP//M06-2X-D3/def2-TZVP level. The steric hindrance and excitation energy modulated by substituents at the C3 position and chiral carbon at the C4 position were crucial for the chemoselectivity in [2 + 2]/[3 + 2] photocycloaddition of 1,4-DHPs.