The Paternò-Büchi reaction involves the photochemical reaction between a carbonyl compound and an alkene to form an oxetane ring. This reaction was first reported in 1909 by Paternò and Chieffi. Several mechanisms are possible, including those involving a diradical intermediate or photoinduced electron transfer. The reaction shows regioselectivity, site selectivity, and stereoselectivity that depend on factors such as the solvent, substituents on the carbonyl compound or alkene, and temperature. The Paternò-Büchi reaction has been used to synthesize various natural products and allows formation of oxetane rings, which are present in several biologically active compounds.

1. Paterno - Buchi
Reaction
Prof. Harish Chopra, SLIET, Longowal

2. Background
The Paternò-Büchi reaction is the first photochemical
reaction achieved between a carbonyl compound and an
alkene to produce oxetane was published in 1909 by
Paternò and Chieffi. This experiment was reproduced in
1954 by Büchi et al. and oxetanes were characterized. Yang
et al. were in 1964 the first to determine the
regioselectivity of this reaction.
2

3. Importance
Oxetane ring is present in many biologically
active scaffolds:
(i) Taxol, Drug for Ovarian Cancer treatment
(ii) Merrilactone A, used for Neurotrophic Activity
(iii) Oxetane containing Antiviral Compounds.
3

4. Mechanism
4
Mechanisms involving a diradical intermediate
Influence of the amphoteric character of the carbonyl
compound at its nπ* state
Mechanisms involving photoinduced electron transfer (PET)
Paternò-Büchi reaction in the ππ* state of the carbonyl
compound

5. Mechanism
[Mechanisms involving a diradical intermediate]
5
❏ The carbonyl compound is excited to a
singlet state (usually n*) and then reaches a
triplet state after an ISC
❏ The diradical intermediate 1D,formed by
attack of the singlet excited carbonyl
compound on the alkene, mainly leads to its
triplet counterpart 3D.
❏ After a second ISC,which is controlled by a
spin-orbit coupling, this diradical 3D can
undergo either cyclization to the oxetane
or cleavage of the new C-O covalent bond
to regenerate the substrates in their
ground state.
one or several diradical
intermediates are involved

6. Mechanism
6
The photoinduced reaction between benzophenone 6 and alkene 7 to give
oxetane derivative 9 nicely prove the existence of the diradical
intermediate. The tetrahydro-oxepine derivative 11 can only be formed by
a rearrangement of the diradical 8 leading to the intermediate 10.

7. Mechanism
The semi-occupied np orbital of the oxygen atom is electrophilic,
whereas the single electron of the π* orbital induces a nucleophilic
character of the system of the carbonyl compound (3-electron
system)
7
[Influence of the amphoteric character of the carbonyl compound at
its nπ* state]

8. Mechanism
Mechanisms involving photoinduced electron transfer (PET)
In photochemical reactions between
electron-rich alkenes and carbonyl
compounds, an exciplex can initially
be formed from charge-transfer
interactions. Sometimes, these
excited state charge-transfer complexes
CT lead to an intermolecular electron
transfer process and therefore to the
formation of a radical-ion pair RI
which leads to the formation of
Oxetane.
8

9. Mechanism
Examples involving PET Mechanism
The reactions involving PET mechanism are more selective than those
involving a diradical intermediate. E.g., naphtaldehyde (A) and the
particular electron rich dihydrofuranderivative (B) under irradiation
form bicycle compound (C) excellent regio- and stereo-selectivities.
9
exo: endo = 93:7(A)
(B) (C)

10. Mechanism
Examples involving PET Mechanism
The photochemical reaction between 1,4-benzoquinone and
diphenylacetylene gives a radical-ion pair (A) which generates the
unstable oxetene (B) that through ring opening leads to the final product
(C). This latter step is usually observed in Paternò-Büchi reactions
involving an alkyne.
10
(A)
(B) (C)

11. Mechanism
[Paternò-Büchi reaction in the ππ* state of the carbonyl compound]
The carbonyl compounds which possess a ππ* state lower in energy than
their nπ* state undergo a Paternò-Büchi reaction with higher quantum yields
than those which react in their nπ*state. E.g., photochemical excited acetyl-
selenophene (A) is more stable in its ππ* triplet state. The oxetane (C) is thus
the result of a nucleophilic attack of the π system of the carbonyl
compound on tetramethylethylene (B). The competitive product (D)
results from the [2 + 2] cycloaddition of the alkene to the heterocycle.
11
(A) (B)
(C) (D)

12. Mechanism
[Solvent Effect]
12
The solvent determines the nature of the mechanism involved. E.g., if the reaction
between benzaldehyde and 2,3-dihydrofuran is performed in
High regioselectivity
Non-polar solvents (benzene) Diradical intermediate
Mechanism
Low regioselectivity
Polar solvents (Acetonitrile) PET Mechanism
Solvent (A) : (B)
Benzene 29 : 01
Acetonitrile 05 : 01
(A) (B)

13. Selectivity
Site selectivity
describes the preferred
attack of the carbonyl
compound on a
particular double bond,
when the alkene
partner possesses two
or more double bonds
Regioselectivity, which
corresponds, as for all [2 + 2]
cycloadditions, to the “head-to-
head” or “head-to-tail”
connectivity of both reagents.
13
Site Selectivity Regioselectivity

14. Site-Selectivity
14
The photoinduced reaction
between benzaldehyde and 2-
methylfuran is regio- and
stereoselective, but the site
selectivity is not controlled.
45 : 55
The photoinduced reactions
between benzophenone and 2-
methylfuran and thiophene
derivative show a high site
selectivity, because both double
bonds of these heterocycles differ
in energy

15. Site-Selectivity
15
if one of the double bonds of the furan carries an
electron withdrawing substituent, the site selectivity is
considerably improved.
R (A) : (B)
H 1.3 : 1
Ac 1 : > 10
(A) (B)

16. Site-Selectivity
16
Steric Hindrance:
The site selectivity of the Paternò-Büchi reaction
between furan derivative and benzaldehyde is
controlled by the presence of a bulky substituent on one
double bond.

17. Regioselectivity
17
For the diradical mechanism, the initial attack of the electrophilic
oxygen atom of the excited carbonyl compound defines the
structure of the diradical intermediate and therefore the
regioselectivity of the reaction. The relative nucleophilicity of the
carbon atoms of the alkene double bond in the ground state is
thus relevant, since a larger difference in the electronic density of
both carbon atoms will increase the regioselectivity of the reaction

18. Regioselectivity
18
In the reaction between benzophenone and the uracil
derivatives, the structure of the main regioisomer
depends directly on the position of the methyl on the
double bond
R R’ (A) : (B) Yield [%]
Me H 71 : 29 51
H Me 19 : 81 44
(A) (B)

19. Regioselectivity
19
The irradiation of 1,3-diacetyl-oxypropan-2-one
(A) with trimethylsilyloxy ethylene (B) produced
regioselective oxetane compound (C).
(A) (B) (C)

20. Stereoselectivity
20
In the photoinduced reaction
between furan and several
aromatic carbonyl compounds, the
exo/endo stereoselectivity depends
directly on the substituent of the
carbonyl compound
R (exo) : (endo)
H 212 : 1
Me >49 : 1
CN 3.7 : 1
CO2Me 1 : 9
(exo) (endo)
R (A) : (B)
H 89 : 11
Me 50 : 50
(A) (B)
When R = H, irradiation
of compounds [X] and
[Y] selectively yields
oxetane (A), but no
selectivity is observed
when R = Me
(X)
(Y)

21. Stereoselectivity
21
With benzophenone, chiral 2-furyl methanols form a hydrogen
bond which influences the regio-, diastereo- and site selectivities
of the reaction according to the configuration of the chiral
carbon atom of the furan derivatives

22. Stereoselectivity
22
The stereoselectivity of the Paternò-Büchi reaction also depends
on the spin multiplicity of the excited carbonyl compound and of the
diradical intermediate. Usually, singlet reactions are more
stereoselective than triplet ones. When the singlet acetone reacts,
the stereochemistry of the alkene is conserved and oxetane is
formed whereas when the triplet acetone reacts, an efficient and
exothermic sensitization process leads to cis/trans isomerization

23. Stereoselectivity
23
The reaction of the triplet excited benzophenone with alkene (1-
methylthio-2-tert-butylethylene) selectively forms trans-
methylthiooxetane with conservation of the stereochemistry of the
alkene. In this case, bulky substituents reduce the bonds rotation in
the triplet diradical intermediate.
trans product
(>97%)

24. Stereoselectivity
24
The reaction between aliphatic aldehydes (R = Me, Et, i-Pr) and the
2,3-dihydrofuran showed a strong endo stereoselectivity when the
triplet aldehyde reacts. However, when the mechanism only involves
the singlet aldehyde, the stereochemistry of the oxetane formed is not
controlled and only depends on the initial attack of the carbonyl
compound on the alkene.
endo- selective
product
no- selectivity
Stereoselectivity

25. Stereoselectivity
25
The temperature has an influence on the selectivity of the Paternò-
Büchi reaction when the mechanism involves a diradical
intermediate and when one of the possible diradical is
thermodynamically favored. E.g., stereoselectivity of the
photoinduced reaction between benzophenone and cyclooctene
depends on temperature.
trans
Stereoselectivity
Effect of Temperature on Selectivity
ciscis / trans
Octene Temp.[°C] (trans) : (cis)
cis - 95 02 : 98
cis + 110 80 : 20
trans - 80 96 : 04
Trans + 110 90 : 10

26. Stereoselectivity
26
The main side reaction occurring during a Paternò-Büchi reaction is
hydrogen abstraction at the allylic position of the alkene bond by the
oxygen atom of the excited carbonyl compound. This parallel reaction
is dominant when those hydrogen atoms are very labile.
Recombination
Side Reactions
DimerPinacol

27. Stereoselectivity
27
Another side reaction of the Paternò-Büchi reaction is the Norrish
type-II reaction (𝜸-hydrogen atom abstraction). E.g., 𝝰-ketoester
[Ethyl(phenyl)glyoxylate] on reaction with electron-rich alkenes
such as cyclohexa-1,3-diene yields oxetane under irradiation.
However, with electron-poor alkenes such as allyl bromide,
ethyl(phenyl)glyoxylate is fragmented according to a Norrish type-II
reaction via the typical intermediate.
Side Reactions

28. 28
Applications
Synthesis of Oxetanes from enol ethers

29. 29
Applications Synthesis of Oxetanes from silyl enol ethers
The reaction of benzaldehyde with trimethylsilyl derivative of
cinnamyl alcohol gave trans-oxetane with high stereoselectivity.
The reaction of benzaldehyde with trimethylsilyl derivative having a
stereogenic centre in the 𝛃-alkyl group (A) gave oxetanes with high
diastereoisomeric ratio (92:8).
(A)
92 : 08

30. 30
Applications
Synthesis of Oxetanes from Enamines
N-Acyl enamines (A) and
(B) gave the
corresponding oxetane
derivatives with high
regio- and
stereoselectivities. The
thermodynamically more
stable isomer is formed in
these reactions.
(A)
(B)
90 : 10

31. 31
Applications
Synthesis of Oxetanes from Furans
Furan or Benzofuran on
reaction with benzophenone
gave regioselective oxetanes
with high exo-selectivity.
The photochemical
irradiation of benzofuran
derivative (A) with
benzaldehyde gave endo-
oxetane derivative (B) .
(A) (B)

32. 32
Intramolecular Paterno-Buchi Reaction
Synthesis of Diquinanes and Triquinanes

33. 33
Intramolecular Paterno-Buchi Reaction
Synthesis of 1,13-Herbertenediol
1,13-Herbertenediol
Synthesis of Merrilactone A Scaffold
Merrilactone A Scaffold

34. 34
References
The Paternò-Büchi reaction—Mechanisms and application to organic
synthesis Maxime Fréneau∗, Norbert Hoffmann*, Journal of
Photochemistry and Photobiology C: Photochemistry Reviews, 33 (2017)
83–108.
Paternò-Büchi reaction, CRC Handbook of Organic Photochemistry and
Photobiology, Maurizio D Auria, Vol 1, 653-681, CRC Press (Taylor &
Francis), (2012)

35. Thank You !
35