Cyclopropanation, asymmetric

Figu re 7.12 Chiral Bis(oxazoline) ligands for Cu-catalyzed asymmetric cyclopropanations. 

Entry Ligand CUX2 Solvent Run Yield (%) ee trans (%) ee cis (%) 

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Reagent-controlled asymmetric cyclopropanation is relatively more difficult using sulfur ylides, although it has been done. It is more often accomplished using chiral aminosulfoxonium ylides. Finally, more complex sulfur ylides (e.g. 64) may result in more elaborate cyclopropane synthesis, as exemplified by the transformation 65 66 ... 

Heterocycles as ligands in complex catalysts for asymmetric cyclopropanation 98T7919. 

From a historical perspective it is interesting to note that the Nozaki experiment was, in fact, a mechanistic probe to establish the intermediacy of a copper carbe-noid complex rather than an attempt to make enantiopure compounds for synthetic purposes. To achieve synthetically useful selectivities would require an extensive exploration of metals, ligands and reaction conditions along with a deeper understanding of the reaction mechanism. Modern methods for asymmetric cyclopropanation now encompass the use of countless metal complexes [2], but for the most part, the importance of diazoacetates as the carbenoid precursors still dominates the design of new catalytic systems. Highly effective catalysts developed in... 

As part of an independent study of catalytic asymmetric cyclopropanation, Denmark et al. described a systematic investigation of the effect of addition order, stoichiometry and catalyst structure on sulfonamide-catalyzed Simmons-Smith cyciopropanations. Although early studies had shown promising levels of enantios-electivity, higher selectivity would be required for this to be a synthetically useful transformation. The principal issues that were addressed by this study included ... 

The catalytic asymmetric cyclopropanation of an alkene, a reaction which was studied as early as 1966 by Nozaki and Noyori,63 is used in a commercial synthesis of ethyl (+)-(lS)-2,2-dimethylcyclo-propanecarboxylate (18) by the Sumitomo Chemical Company (see Scheme 5).64 In Aratani s Sumitomo Process, ethyl diazoacetate is decomposed in the presence of isobutene (16) and a catalytic amount of the dimeric chiral copper complex 17. Compound 18, produced in 92 % ee, is a key intermediate in Merck s commercial synthesis of cilastatin (19). The latter compound is a reversible... 

The search for the racemic form of 15, prepared by allylic cyclopropanation of farnesyl diazoacetate 14, prompted the use of Rh2(OAc)4 for this process. But, instead of 15, addition occurred to the terminal double bond exclusively and in high yield (Eq. 6) [65]. This example initiated studies that have demonstrated the generality of the process [66-68] and its suitability for asymmetric cyclopropanation [69]. Since carbon-hydrogen insertion is in competition with addition, only the most reactive carboxamidate-ligated catalysts effect macrocyclic cyclopropanation [70] (Eq. 7), and CuPF6/bis-oxazoline 28 generally produces the highest level of enantiocontrol. 

Chelucci et al. [41] synthesized further chiral terpyridines derived from (-)-yd-pinene, (-i-)-camphor, and (-l-)-2-carene and tested their ability to chelate copper or rhodium for the asymmetric cyclopropanation of styrene. The copper catalysts were poorly efficient and selective in this reaction. The corresponding rhodium complexes led to the best result (64% ee) with the ligand derived from (-l-)-2-carene (ligand 33 in Scheme 17). 

Other types of new AT-containing ligands have been described as effective chiral inductors for copper-catalyzed asymmetric cyclopropanation. Hence, Fu and Lo [42] prepared a new planar-chiral hgand, namely the C2-symmetric bisazaferrocene (structure 34 in Scheme 18), which was fbimd to be efficient for the cyclopropanation of various olefins with large diastereomeric excesses and ee values up to 95%. 

Woo et al. [54] prepared new chiral tetraaza macrocyclic hgands (48 in Scheme 23) and their corresponding iron(II) complexes and tested them, as well as chiral iron(II) porphyrin complexes such as Fe (D4 -TpAP) 49, in asymmetric cyclopropanation of styrene. 

The third chapter presented by E. Schulz deals with the use of dinitrogen-containing ligands in three important asymmetric methods of C - C bond formation asymmetric cyclopropanation, the Dields-Alder reaction and al-lylic substitution. 

In 2004, ruthenium-catalysed asymmetric cyclopropanations of styrene derivatives with diazoesters were also performed by Masson et al., using chiral 2,6-bis(thiazolines)pyridines. These ligands were prepared from dithioesters and commercially available enantiopure 2-aminoalcohols. When the cyclopropanation of styrene with diazoethylacetate was performed with these ligands in the presence of ruthenium, enantioselectivities of up to 85% ee were obtained (Scheme 6.6). The scope of this methodology was extended to various styrene derivatives and to isopropyl diazomethylphosphonate with good yields and enantioselectivities. The comparative evaluation of enantiocontrol for cyclopropanation of styrene with chiral ruthenium-bis(oxazolines), Ru-Pybox, and chiral ruthenium-bis(thiazolines), Ru-thia-Pybox, have shown many similarities with, in some cases, good enantiomeric excesses. The modification... 

Since their first introduction by Brunner and McKervey as chiral catalysts for the asymmetric cyclopropanation of alkenes with diazo compounds, chiral dirhodium tetra(A-arylsulfonylprolinates) complexes have been widely used by Davies,in particular, in the context of these reactions. Therefore, the use of... 

In 1966, Nozaki et al. reported that the decomposition of o-diazo-esters by a copper chiral Schiff base complex in the presence of olefins gave optically active cyclopropanes (Scheme 58).220 221 Following this seminal discovery, Aratani et al. commenced an extensive study of the chiral salicylaldimine ligand and developed highly enantioselective and industrially useful cyclopropanation.222-224 Since then, various complexes have been prepared and applied to asymmetric cyclo-propanation. In this section, however, only selected examples of cyclopropanations using diazo compounds are discussed. For a more detailed discussion of asymmetric cyclopropanation and related reactions, see reviews and books.17-21,225... 

Intermolecular cyclopropanation of olefins poses two stereochemical problems enantioface selection and diastereoselection (trans-cis selection). In general, for stereochemical reasons, the formation of /ra ,v-cyclopropane is kinetically more favored than that of cis-cyclopropane, and the asymmetric cyclopropanation so far developed is mostly /ram-selective, except for a few examples. Copper, rhodium, ruthenium, and cobalt complexes have mainly been used as the catalysts for asymmetric intermolecular cyclopropanation. 

Subsequently, bis(oxazoline) ligands ((70) and (71)), structurally related to the semicorrin ligand, were introduced and further expanded the scope of asymmetric cyclopropanation... 

As described in Section 9.4.7.1, some Rh and Ru carbenoid intermediates that undergo cyclopropanation reactions have been spectroscopically identified.294,254 Less reactive metal-carbenoid intermediates (108) and (109) have been isolated and their structures have been determined unequivocally by X-ray analysis.255 258 The isolated carbenoid intermediate (108) undergoes cyclopropanation at high temperature (110°C),255 and another intermediate (109) serves as the catalyst for asymmetric cyclopropanation (Figure 11).258... 

Based on these mechanisms and ligand structures, various transition-state models to explain the stereochemistry of asymmetric cyclopropanation reactions have been proposed. For details, see the reviews17- 1 and the references cited for Figure 12. 

Recently, several mechanistic studies have been performed by means of calculations based on density functional theory. - Pfaltz s model proposed for asymmetric cyclopropanation using copper-semicorrin or -bis(oxazolines) complex has been supported by calculation.295 Another calculation also supports the parallel approach.296... 

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