Cyclopropanation using diazoesters

The popularity of Cu(acac)2, where acac = acetylacetonato, as a precatalyst in alkene cyclopropanation using diazoesters has led to the investigation of chiral 1,3-dicarbonyls as a source of asymmetric induction in this process. Mathn et al. (26) report a selective cyclopropanation of styrene with a dimedone-derived diazocarbonyl in the presence of a camphor-derived diketone, Eq. 12. The reaction is con-... 

Intramolecular cyclopropanation using diazoesters is a powerful synthetic tool. Diazoesters are readily prepared from the corresponding alcohol via House s methods56-57. Numerous examples using the application of this transformation in synthesis have been reported. These include the potent synthetic pyrethroid NRDC 182 (22)58, (1 R)-( )-cis-chrysanthemic acid (23)59, the highly strained bicyclic system 2460, antheridic acid 2561,62 and cycloheptadiene 26 (equations 33-37). 

Scheme 1. General mechanism for the copper-catalyzed cyclopropanation of alkenes using diazoesters.

Metal catalysed cyclopropanation using alkyl diazoesters has been confirmed as a useful synthetic method since an earlier review dealing with cyclopropanation chemistry... 

Intermolecular cyclopropanation using alkyl diazoesters has been extensively studied. The following representative examples illustrate the utility of this chemistry. 

Stereosectivity is a broad term. The stereoselectivity in cyclopropanation which has been discussed in the above subsection, in fact, can also be referred to as diastereoselectivity. In this section, for convenience, the description of diastereoselectivity will be reserved for selectivity in cyclopropanation of diazo compounds or alkenes that are bound to a chiral auxiliary. Chiral diazoesters or chiral Ar-(diazoacetyl)oxazolidinone have been applied in metal catalysed cyclopropanation. However, these chiral diazo precursors and styrene yield cyclopropane products whose diastereomeric excess are less than 15% (equation 129)183,184. The use of several a-hydroxy esters as chiral auxiliaries for asymmetric inter-molecular cyclopropanation with rhodium(II)-stabilized vinylcarbenoids have been reported by Davies and coworkers. With (R)-pantolactone as the chiral auxiliary, cyclopropanation of diazoester 144 with a range of alkenes provided c yield with diastereomeric excess at levels of 90% (equation 130)1... 

So far, while there is a relative abundance of synthetically useful cyclopropana-tion catalysts, all of them provide a mixture of diastereomers with the anti product predominating. Thus, a catalyst able to provide optically active syn cyclopropyl esters would constitute a useful complement to existing methodology. Rhodium complexes of bulky porphyrins ( chiral fortress porphyrins) have been developed for this purpose [27]. The porphyrin ligands bear chiralbinaphthyl groups appended directly to the meso positions. Their rhodium(III) complexes provide predominantly the syn cyclopropane with diazoesters, with very good stereoselectivity in some cases. However, the enantioselectivities observed are modest. 

The use of metalloporphyrins as cyclopropanation catalysts originated with Callot who reported that (TPP)Rhl provided a cis preference for the cyclopropanation of styrene with ethyl diazoacetate (Scheme 15) [158,159]. This was quite unexpected because cyclopropanation of cis-olefin using diazoesters and metal derivatives as catalysts usually gives the trans cyclopropyl ester as the major product [167]. The cis-selectivity increased with the size of the substituents at the meso position and suggested a preferential direction of approach of the alkene towards a rhodiiun carbene complex [159]. 

The most significant and widely studied reactivity of the ruthenium and osmium porphyrin carbene complexes is their role in catalyzing both the decomposition of diazoesters to produce alkenes and the cyclopropanation of alkenes by diazoesters. Ethyl diazoacetate is used to prepare the carbene complex 0s(TTP)(=CHC02Et)... 

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... 

Whereas control of the rate of addition of the diazoester generally meets with increased yields when Rh OAc), Rh6(CO)16 and CuCl P(OR)3 are used, it has no effect on cyclopropane yields in the case of PdCl2 2 PhCN 59). 

With the rhodium and copper catalysts, even the combination of equimolar amounts of olefin and diazoester will allow high yields of cyclopropanes if the addition rate is controlled meticulously (see Table 6 for examples). This circumstance is particularly useful for cyclopropanation of olefins which are in short supply. In combination with Rhg(CO)16, the easy recovery of the unchanged catalyst (by diluting the mixture with hexane and separating the precipitated catalyst from the liquid65 may render such a procedure particularly attractive from an economical point of view. 

Palladium(II) acetate was found to be a good catalyst for such cyclopropanations with ethyl diazoacetate (Scheme 19) by analogy with the same transformation using diazomethane (see Sect. 2.1). The best yields were obtained with monosubstituted alkenes such as acrylic esters and methyl vinyl ketone (64-85 %), whereas they dropped to 10-30% for a,p-unsaturated carbonyl compounds bearing alkyl groups in a- or p-position such as ethyl crotonate, isophorone and methyl methacrylate 141). In none of these reactions was formation of carbene dimers observed. 7>ms-benzalaceto-phenone was cyclopropanated stereospecifically in about 50% yield PdCl2 and palladium(II) acetylacetonate were less efficient catalysts 34 >. Diazoketones may be used instead of diazoesters, as the cyclopropanation of acrylonitrile by diazoacenaph-thenone/Pd(OAc)2 (75 % yield) shows142). 

Cyclopropanation reactions can be promoted using copper or rhodium catalysts or indeed systems based on other metals. As early as 1965 Nozaki showed that chiral copper complexes could promote asymmetric addition of a carbenoid species (derived from a diazoester) to an alkene. This pioneering study was embroidered by Aratani and co-workers who showed a highly enantioselective process could be obtained by modifying the chiral copper... 

Aratani et al. (21) subsequently found that the use of chiral menthyl diazoacetate esters led to higher trans/cis ratios and improved facial selectivity. A number of bulky diazoesters provided high enantioselectivity in the cyclopropanation reaction, but trans selectivity was highest with /-menthyl esters, Eq. 6. It seems clear from these and subsequent studies that the menthyl group is used because of its bulk and ready availability. The chirality present in the ester has a negligible effect on facial selectivity in the cyclopropanation reaction. Slow addition of diazoester is required (7 h at ambient temperature) for high yields presumably to suppress the formation of fumarate byproducts. 

Ligand 55c is also efficient in the cyclopropanation of other alkenes. 1,1 -Disub-stituted alkenes afford cyclopropanes in high enantioselectivity with ethyl diazoacetate as carbenoid source, Eq. 25 (34). Internal dissymetric trans alkenes are also excellent substrates. trans-P-Methyl styrene afforded a 95 5 diastereomeric mixture with cyclopropane 56a predominating in 96% ee, when the butylated hydroxy toluene (BHT) diazoester was used, Eq. 26 (35). 

When internal trans alkenes were subjected to diazoester in the presence of 80 CuOTf, cyclopropane ent-56, formed in high enantioselectivity, was slightly favored over its isomer (56). The use of ethyl diazoacetate improved diastereoselec-tion relative to the bulkier /-Bu ester. Unfortunately, ee values were somewhat lower with the ethyl ester, Eq. 39. Ito and Katsuki (56) propose the model in Fig. 7 to account for this selectivity. Approach of the trans alkene is controlled by the stereocenter on the bipyridines, directing the bulky group cis to the ester moiety. Larger esters lead to an increased steric interaction in this position and the net result is an erosion in reaction diastereoselectivity. 

Kwong et al. (57) examined the use of bipyridines containing chiral carbinol stereocenters in the 2,9 positions. Interestingly, reduction of 84 with diazoester occurred at ambient temperature unlike every other catalyst reported to date. The resulting complex efficiently mediates the cyclopropanation of styrene. 

Rhodium(II) carboxylate dimers and their carboxamide counterparts have been demonstrated to be exceptionally useful catalysts for carbene transfer processes involving diazocarbonyl substrates [1]. Doyle s seminal work identified Rh2(OAc)4 as the catalyst of choice for a variety of cyclopropanation, C-H insertion, and ylide rearrangement transformations using diazoketones or diazoesters [2]. Important contributions by Taber [3], Padwa [4], and Davies [5] further established the superior catalytic activity of dirho-dium catalysts and the excellent selectivity of rhodium-[Pg.417]

In intramolecular cyclopropanation, Doyle s catalysts (159) show outstanding capabilities for enantiocontrol in the cyclization of allyl and homoallyl diazoesters to bicyclic y-and <5-lactones, respectively (equations 137 and 138)198 205. The data also reveal that intramolecular cyclopropanation of Z-alkenes is generally more enantioselective than that of E-alkenes in bicyclic y-lactone formation198. Both Rh(II)-MEPY enantiomers are available and, through their use, enantiomeric products are accessible. In a few selected cases, the Pfaltz catalyst 156 also results in high-level enandoselectivity in intramolecular cyclopropanation (equation 139)194. On the other hand, the Aratani catalyst is less effective than the Doyle catalyst (159) or Pfaltz catalyst (156) in asymmetric intramolecular cyclo-propanations201. In addition, the bis-oxazoline-derived copper catalyst 157b shows lower enantioselectivity in the intramolecular cyclopropanation of allyl diazomalonate (equation 140)206. 

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. ... 

The use of chiral additives with a rhodium complex also leads to cyclopropanes enantioselectively. An important chiral rhodium species is Rh2(5-DOSP)4, which leads to cyclopropanes with excellent enantioselectivity in carbene cyclopro-panation reactions. Asymmetric, intramolecular cyclopropanation reactions have been reported. The copper catalyzed diazoester cyclopropanation was reported in an ionic liquid. ° It is noted that the reaction of a diazoester with a chiral dirhodium catalyst leads to p-lactones with modest enantioselectivity Phosphonate esters have been incorporated into the diazo compound... 

In the search for more efficient catalyst systems for diazoester additions several groups" "" have employed rhodium(II) acetate. Transition metal complexes have been widely used in cyclopropane synthesis but copper(I) triflate and palladium(II) acetate are ineffective for substituted ethenes. Rhodium(II) carboxylates have been shown" to... 

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