Paternò–Büchi reaction

The Paternò–Büchi reaction, named after Emanuele Paternò and George Büchi, who established its basic utility and form, is a photochemical reaction, specifically a 2+2 photocycloaddition, which forms four-membered oxetane rings from an excited carbonyl and reacting with an alkene.


 * [[Image:Paterno-Büchi Ü V.2.svg|thumb|400px|Here an electronically excited carbonyl group is added to a ground state [[olefin]] yielding an oxetane.]]

With substrates benzaldehyde and 2-methyl-2-butene the reaction product is a mixture of structural isomers:


 * [[Image:Paterno-Büchi Ü V.5.svg|550px|unsymmetric reaction]]

Another substrate set is benzaldehyde and furan or heteroaromatic ketones and fluorinated alkenes.

The alternative strategy for the above reaction is called the Transposed Paternò−Büchi reaction.