Abstract

Photooxygenation of non-aromatic heterocycles and cyclic compounds containing non-usual heteroatoms, namely silicon, germanium and tellurium has been reviewed. All three types of photooxygenation (Types I-III) can take place. Moreover the heteroatom can be frequently involved endorsing electron-transfer reactions which turn out to be the main pathways, even in singlet oxygen oxygenation. A vast collection of novel and unexpected products are often formed, sometimes in a stereocontrolled manner.

Keywords: cycloaddition, nucleophilicity, dehydrogenation, biadamantylidene sulfide, conformationally induced electrostatic stabilization