symm-Tetramethylenecyclooctane: en route to polyspirocycles.

A straightforward gram-scale synthesis of 1,3,5,7-tetrakis(methylidene)cyclooctane (TMCO) from commercial adamantane-1,3-dicarboxylic acid has been developed. TMCO exhibits high reactivity toward a number of carbenes and epoxidizing reagents, undergoing multiple cyclopropanations, dihalocyclopropanations, or epoxidations of four double bonds to yield polyspirocyclic products. Stereochemical features of polyspirocyclopropanated compounds have been thoroughly examined in experimental (NMR) and theoretical (DFT) studies.