Copper compounds alkene cyclopropanation

Intramolecular cyclopropanations with unsaturated diazo ketones have also been reported. Furthermore, enantioselective cyclopropanation with diazomethane can be achieved in up to 75% ee. In detailed mechanistic discussions, a copper(I) species, complexed with only one semicorrin ligand, and formed by reduction and decomplcxation, is suggested as the catalytical-ly active species, cisjtrans Stereoselection and discrimination of enantiotopic alkene faces should take place within a copper-carbene-alkene complex25-54"56. According to these interpretations, cisjtrans selectivity is determined solely by the substituents of the alkene and of the diazo compound (especially the ester group in diazoacetates) and is independent of the chiral ligand structure (salicylaldimine or semicorrin)25. 

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... 

Among methods of preparing optically active cyclopropane compounds, the Simmons-Smith reaction, first reported in 1958, is of significance. This reaction refers to the cyclopropanation of alkene with a reagent prepared in situ from a zinc-copper alloy and diiodomethane. The reaction is stereospecific with respect to the geometry of the alkene and is generally free from side reactions in contrast to reactions involving free carbenes. 

The Simmons-Smith reaction " and its variants are widely used for the stereospecific synthesis of cyclopropane compounds. The methodology involves the use of copper-treated zinc metal (the zinc-copper couple) with diiodomethane to add methylene to a carbon-carbon double bond. Alternative use of diazomethane in catalytic reactions does not offer the same synthetic advantages and is usually avoided because of safety considerations. As significant as is the Simmons-Smith reaction for cyclopropane formation, its employment for organic synthesis was markedly advanced by the discovery that allylic and homoallylic hydroxyl groups accelerate and exert stereochemical control over cyclopropanation of alkenes (e.g, Eq. 21), and this acceleration has been explained by a transition state model... 

Cyclopentenes behave differently and often act through radical mechanisms this can lead to photoreduction to cyclopentanes, or photoaddition of the kind exemplified by norborneneand propan-2-ol 12.57). The photoadduct in this process is linked through the carbon atom of the alcohol, and not the oxygen atom. A related addition to acetonitrile 12.58) takes place when norbornene is irradiated in the presence of a silver(i) compound. It is likely thal a metal complex of the alkene is the real irradiation substrate, and the same may be true for copper(i)-promoted additions of haloalkanes to electron-deficient alkenes (2.59). When dichloromelhane is used in such a reaction the product can be reduced electrochemically to a cyclopropane (2.60), which is of value because the related thermal addition of CH.I, to alkenes in the presence of copper does not succeed with electron-poor compounds. 

Asymmetric cyclopropanations of alkenes and alkynes with a-diazocarbonyl compounds have been extensively explored in recent years and a number of very effective chiral catalysts have been developed2. Copper complexes modified with such chiral ligands as salicy-laldimines 38202,203, semicorrins 39204 208, bis(oxazolines) 40209-2" and bipyridines 41212 have... 

Although a metal catalysed decomposition of ethyl diazoacetate was originally described by Silberrad and Roy in 19061, it was to be many years before the value of this type of process for cyclopropanation of alkenes using transition metal catalysts was widely appreciated and reliable, efficient methods were developed. By the early 1960s, the reaction had become important in organic synthesis. Various transition metal compounds have been screened for catalytic cyclopropanation. Copper, rhodium and palladium compounds have... 

Palladium(II) compounds have unique characteristics suitable for efficient catalysed cyclopropanation of electron-deficient alkenes using diazoalkanes. Neither copper nor rhodium(II) catalysts have shown comparable reactivity with diazoalkanes, although these catalysts are superior to palladium(II) catalysts for cyclopropanation with diazocarbonyl compounds. A few examples of palladium(II) catalysed cyclopropanation of a,fl-unsaturated carbonyl compounds with diazoalkanes are shown in equations 20-242 °. 

The inclusion of a separate chapter on catalysed cyclopropanation in this latest volume of the series is indicative of the very high level of activity in the area of metal catalysed reactions of diazo compounds. Excellent, reproducible catalytic systems, based mainly on rhodium, copper or palladium, are now readily available for cyclopropanation of a wide variety of alkenes. Both intermolecular and intramolecular reactions have been explored extensively in the synthesis of novel cyclopropanes including natural products. Major advances have been made in both regiocontrol and stereocontrol, the latter leading to the growing use of chiral catalysts for producing enantiopure cyclopropane derivatives. 

The cyclopropanation of alkenes, alkynes, and aromatic compounds by carbenoids generated in the metal-catalyzed decomposition of diazo ketones has found widespread use as a method for carbon-carbon bond construction for many years, and intramolecular applications of these reactions have provided a useful cyclization strategy. Historically, copper metal, cuprous chloride, cupric sulfate, and other copper salts were used most commonly as catalysts for such reactions however, the superior catalytic activity of rhodium(ll) acetate dimer has recently become well-established.3 This commercially available rhodium salt exhibits high catalytic activity for the decomposition of diazo ketones even at very low catalyst substrate ratios (< 1%) and is less capricious than the old copper catalysts. We recommend the use of rhodium(ll) acetate dimer in preference to copper catalysts in all diazo ketone decomposition reactions. The present synthesis describes a typical cyclization procedure. 

Alkenylboron compounds cyclopropanations, 9, 181 haloetherification, 9, 182 hydrogenation and epoxidation, 9, 182 metal-catalyzed reactions, 9, 183 metallic reagent additions, 9, 182 via radical addition reactions, 9, 183 5-Alkenylboron compounds, cross-coupling reactions, 9, 208 Alkenyl complexes with cobalt, 7, 51 with copper, 2, 160, 2, 174 with Cp Re(CO) (alkene)3 , 5, 915-916 with dicarbonyl(cyclopentadienyl)hydridoirons, 6, 175 with gold, 2, 255... 

More recently, Pfaltz has reported high enantioselectivities for the cyclopropanation of monosubstituted alkenes and dienes with diazo carbonyl compounds using chiral (semicorrinato)copper complexes (P-Cu) (23-25), and Evans, Masamune, and Pfaltz subsequently discovered exceptional enantioselectivities in intermolecular cyclopropanation reactions with the analogous bis-oxazoline copper complexes (26-28). With the exception of the chiral (camphorquinone dioximato)cobalt(II) catalysts (N-Co) reported by Nakamura and coworkers (29,30), whose reactivities and selectivities differ considerably from copper catalysts, chiral complexes of metals other than copper have not exhibited similar promise for high optical yields in cyclopropanation reactions (37). 

Metal-catalyzed cyclopropanation of an alkene by a diazo compound, reaction 7.33, is another reaction where new C-C bonds are formed. This reaction finds use in the industrial manufacture of synthetic pyrethroids. The precatalysts for carbene addition reactions are coordination complexes of copper or rhodium. It should be noted that reaction 7.33 gives a mixture of isomers (syn plus anti) of the cyclopropane derivative. However, with some chiral catalysts, only one optical isomer with good enantioselectivity is obtained (see Section 9.5). 

Numerous synthetic methods have been developed for the synthesis of cyclopropanes, which represent an important core structure in a number of biologically active compounds. Of these techniques, metal-catalysed cyclopropanation of alkenes with ethyl diazoacetate constitutes a particularly simple and straightforward approach. The metal reacts with the azo compound to form a carbene complex which in turn reacts with the olefin, via formation of a metallabutacycle. Copper-complexes are most commonly employed, but other metals like rhodium and palladium are also used. 

Polymer-supported benzenesulfonyl azides have been developed as a safe diazotransfer reagent. ° These compounds, including CH2N2 and other diazoalkanes, react with metals or metal salts (copper, paUadium, and rhodium are most commonly used) to give the carbene complexes that add CRR to double bonds. Diazoketones and diazoesters with alkenes to give the cyclopropane derivative, usually with a transition-metal catalyst, such as a copper complex. The ruthenium catalyst reaction of diazoesters with an alkyne give a cyclopropene. An X-ray structure of an osmium catalyst intermediate has been determined. Electron-rich alkenes react faster than simple alkenes. ... 

Reaction of l-chloro-4,4-bis(chloromethyl)pentane with magnesium in diethyl ether, followed by quenching with carbon dioxide, gave 4-(l-methylcyclopropyl)butanoic acid in 68% yield. Cyclopropane derivatives with electron-withdrawing substituents 5 were prepared by elec-troreductive dechlorination of 2,4-dichlorobutanoic acid derivatives in dimethyl sulfoxide solution in the presence of tetraethylammonium 4-toluenesulfonate at ambient temperature (yields 51 -90%).The starting materials for compounds 5 can easily be obtained by copper (I)-catalyzed photochemical addition of dichloromethane to electron-deficient alkenes. Electrochemical reductive 1,3-debromination has also been achieved however, it is of little synthetic value (experimental details are described in ref 16, with yields ranging from 39 to 94%). meso- and dimethyl sulfoxide gave equal amounts of cis- and transA, 2-dimethylpropane. ... 

When diaryldiazomethanes are decomposed by means of a metal salt in the presence of an alkene, 1,1-diaryIcyclopropanes are formed (see also Section 1.2.1.2.4.2.6.3.). A number of salts are able to promote the decomposition of the diazo compounds,but whatever the salt is, the cyclopropane is generally afforded in moderate to low yield due to formation of significant quantities of ketazine and benzophenone derivatives. Thus, decomposition of diphenyl-diazomethane by copper(II) sulfate in butyl vinyl ether gave l-butoxy-2,2-diphenylcyclo-propane (1) in 17% yield, benzophenone azine (2) in 14% yield and benzophenone (3) in 11% yield. ... 

Copper powder, copper bronze, copper(I) oxide, copper(II) oxide, copper(Il) sulfate, and cop-per(I) halides, typically applied as a suspension in refluxing solvent or alkene, are used extensively for intermolecular cyclopropanation with diazoacetic esters or diazomalonic esters, and for intramolecular cyclopropanation of unsaturated diazocarbonyl compounds. Bis(acetylacetonato)copper(Il) [Cu(acac)2], a more recently introduced catalyst, is only sparingly soluble in the typical solvents and alkenes which are used and is therefore applied under the same conditions. Catalysts such as trialkyl phosphite and triaryl phosphite complexes of copper(I) halides and salicylaldimatocopper(II) chelates [e.g. 1 (R = (R)-a-phenylethyl, R = /ert-butyl ) and 2 ] are soluble in many organic solvents and liquid alkenes. 

Ethyl diazoacetate (228 mg, 2.0 mmol) was added at a controlled rate over a 6-8 h period to a stirred mixture of the alkene (20.0 mmol) or diene (10.0 mmol) and the catalyst (0.01 -0,02 mmol) under and ordinarily at 25 C. For copper(I) triflate catalyzed reactions with enol ethers, the diazo ester dissolved in the enol ether w as added to copper(II) triflate in EtjO in order to minimize polymerization of the enol ether. Alkenes were generally purified by distillation prior to their use. The initial solubility of the transition metal compound was dependent on the alkene employed, and, with the exception of Rhg(CO)jg, bis(acetylacetonato)copper(II), and copper bronze, homogeneous solutions were obtained prior to or immediately after the initial addition of ethyl diazoacetate. 1 h after addition was complete, EtjO was added, the resulting solution was washed twice with sat. aq NaHC03 dried (MgSOJ. EtjO and excess alkene were distilled under reduced pressure. The desired cyclopropanes were obtained either by fractional bulb-to-bulb distillation or by preparative GC (Table 8). 

The cyclopropanation of gaseous alkenes, butadiene, and allene (see Section 1.2.1.2.4.2.6.3.3., Table 11, entry 1) by diazoacetic esters can be achieved by passing a vapor-gas mixture of the alkene and the diazo compound at atmospheric pressure through a tubular continuous flow reactor which contains a copper catalyst (ca. 10%) deposited on pumice. In this manner, alkyl cyclopropanecarboxylates were obtained in yields of up to 50% with cop-per(II) sulfate (typical reaction temperature 65-110"C, contact time 3.6 s) or copper(II) oxide (85-200°C, 5s) as catalysts. 

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