Cyclopropane- , formation

Internal nucleophilic cyclization leading to alkoxycyclopropanes is the most typical reaction of reactive metal homoenolates [I, 2]. The nature of stable homoenolates, however, is such that the anionic carbon C-3 forms a covalent bond with the metal atom and does not show high nucleophilic reactivity. 

Among isolable metal homoenolates only zinc homoenolates cyclize to cyclo-propanes under suitable conditions. Whereas acylation of zinc alkyls makes a straightforward ketone synthesis [32], that of a zinc homoenolate is more complex. Treatment of a purified zinc homoenolate in CDC13 with acid chloride at room temperature gives O-acylation product, instead of the expected 4-keto ester, as the single product (Eq. (22) [33]). The reaction probably proceeds by initial electrophilic attack of acyl cation on the carbonyl oxygen. A C-acylation leading to a 4-keto ester can, however, be accomplished in a polar solvent Eq. (44)- 

Treatment of zinc homoenolates with Me3SiCl in a polar solvent also results in cyclopropane formation Eq. (23). This provides a very mild route to the siloxycyclopropanes [24]. 

4-keto ester can, however, be accomplished in a polar solvent Eq- ( 

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If a bromomethyl- or vinyl-substituted cyclopropane carbon atom bears a hydroxy group, the homoallyiic rearrangement leads preferentially to cyclobutanone derivatives (J. Sa-laun, 1974). Addition of amines to cydopropanone (N. J. Turro, 1966) yields S-lactams after successive treatment with tert-butyl hypochlorite and silver(I) salts (H.H. Wasserman, 1975). For intramolecular cyclopropane formation see section 1.16. 

As final examples, the intramolecular cyclopropane formation from cycloolefins with diazo groups (S.D. Burke, 1979), intramolecular cyclobutane formation by photochemical cycloaddition (p. 78, 297f., section 4.9), and intramolecular Diels-Alder reactions (p. 153f, 335ff.) are mentioned. The application of these three cycloaddition reactions has led to an enormous variety of exotic polycycles (E.J. Corey, 1967A). 

The addition of diazomethane to a,/l-unsaturated ketones, e.g., benzalace-tone and benzalacetophenone, results in A -pyrazolines (16) which decompose thermally to the conjugated ketones (17). Cyclopropane formation is not observed in this instance. 

Without question, the most powerful method for cyclopropane formation by methylene transfer is the well-known Simmons-Smith reaction [6]. In 1958, Simmons and Smith reported that the action of a zinc-copper couple on diiodomethane generates a species that can transform a wide variety of alkenes into the corresponding cyclopropanes (Scheme 3.3) [7]. 

In most transition metal-catalyzed reactions, one of the carbene substituents is a carbonyl group, which further enhances the electrophilicity of the intermediate. There are two general mechanisms that can be considered for cyclopropane formation. One involves formation of a four-membered ring intermediate that incorporates the metal. The alternative represents an electrophilic attack giving a polar species that undergoes 1,3-bond formation. 

Application of magnesium amide instead of alkyl lithium for the cyclopropanation formation from 5-chloropentyne was reported in the patent application ... 

It has been demonstrated that in these cases cyclopropane formation is reversible and thermodynamically favorable [124]. Recently, a single example of the stoichiometric version of this reaction has been independently reported by Fernandez-Mateos [116]. 

Photolysis of phenyldiazomethane in cis- or trans-butene leads to nearly stereospecific cyclopropane formation, although some C—H insertion occurs<2W ... 

An interesting gas-phase study of the photolysis of ftmy-l-phenyl-2-butene has been published by Comtet.(39,40) He has found that (a) it was not possible to quench the formation of the cyclopropane product under conditions that reduced the fluorescence quantum yield, (b) sensitization by acetophenone only gave cis-trans isomerization, and (c) the quantum yield of cyclopropane formation in the direct photolysis decreases as n-butane is added to the reaction mixture. Comtet suggests that the data are consistent with a reaction from the second triplet state. 

Two examples of substituted cyclopropane formation are shown below. This reactive zinc should dramatically increase the utility of the Simmons-Smith reaction. 

Diazomethane is also decomposed by N O)40 -43 and Pd(0) complexes43 . Electron-poor alkenes such as methyl acrylate are cyclopropanated efficiently with Ni(0) catalysts, whereas with Pd(0) yields were much lower (Scheme 1)43). Cyclopropanes derived from styrene, cyclohexene or 1-hexene were formed only in trace yields. In the uncatalyzed reaction between diazomethane and methyl acrylate, methyl 2-pyrazoline-3-carboxylate and methyl crotonate are formed competitively, but the yield of the latter can be largely reduced by adding an appropriate amount of catalyst. It has been verified that cyclopropane formation does not result from metal-catalyzed ring contraction of the 2-pyrazoline, Instead, a nickel(0)-carbene complex is assumed to be involved in the direct cyclopropanation of the olefin. The preference of such an intermediate for an electron-poor alkene is in agreement with the view that nickel carbenoids are nucleophilic 44). 

Thorough investigations with dimethyl diazomalonate and catalysts of the type (RO)3P CuX have revealed that the efficiency of competing reaction paths, the synjanti or EjZ selectivity in cyclopropane formation as well as the cis/trans ratio of carbene dimers depend not only on catalyst concentration and temperature but also on the nature of R58) and of the halide anion X 57 6". Furthermore, the cyclopropane yield can be augmented in many cases at the expense of carbene dimer... 

Table 2. Stereoselectivities for cyclopropane formation from olefins and ethyl diazoacetate with representative copper catalysts (reproduced from reference 59, with the permission of the American Chemical Society)... 

In order to rationalize the catalyst-dependent selectivity of cyclopropanation reaction with respect to the alkene, the ability of a transition metal for olefin coordination has been considered to be a key factor (see Sect. 2.2.1 and 2.2.2). It was proposed that palladium and certain copper catalysts promote cyclopropanation through intramolecular carbene transfer from a metal carbene to an alkene molecule coordinated to the same metal atom25,64. The preferential cyclopropanation of terminal olefins and the less hindered double bond in dienes spoke in favor of metal-olefin coordination. Furthermore, stable and metastable metal-carbene-olefin complexes are known, some of which undergo intramolecular cyclopropane formation, e.g. 426 - 427 415). 

By analogy with cyclopropane formation from carbenes and C=C bonds, azo compounds might be expected to give diaziridines in their reaction with carbenes. Although acyclic ADC compounds react readily with diazoalkanes... 

The di-rc-methane rearrangement is also a convenient way of obtaining polycyclic fused ring systems as illustrated in the synthesis of a tricyclo-undecane (3.17) 327). In the irradiation of dihydrotriquinacene the initial bonding scheme is identical as in (3.14) but ultimate cyclopropane formation is hindered by structural reasons (3.18) 328). 

If Scheme 2 accurately represented the PhCH2CCl chemistry, curvature in the addn/rearr vs. [alkene] correlation would persist when the carbene was generated from 37. The absence of curvature in this case counts against Scheme 2 (and the CAC mechanism), but accords with the RIES mechanism, Scheme 3. Elimination of the diazirine precursor eliminates the diazirine excited state. From 37, both cyclopropane formation and 1,2-H rearrangement proceed from a single (carbene) intermediate, and addn/rearr vs. [alkene] is linear.25... 

The product possesses a homoallylic stannane moiety, which can be utilized as a useful synthon for cyclopropane formation (Scheme 68). Upon treatment of the homoallylstannane with HI, destannative cyclization takes place to give cyclopropylmethylsilane.271,272 A Lewis acid-catalyzed reaction with benzaldehyde dimethyl acetal affords vinylcyclopropane.273... 

The analogous process involving allylic epoxides is more complex, as issues such as the stereochemistry of substituents on the ring and on the alkene play major roles in determining the course of the reaction [38]. Addition of the Schwartz reagent to the alkene only occurs when an unsubstituted vinyl moiety is present and, in the absence of a Lewis acid, intramolecular attack in an anti fashion leads to cyclopropane formation as the major pathway (Scheme 4.10). cis-Epoxides 13 afford cis-cyclopropyl carbinols, while trans-oxiranes 14 give mixtures of anti-trans and anti-cis isomers. The product of (S-elimi-... 

These catalysts were shown to have some generality beyond trisubstituted alke-nes. In particular, Z-menthyl diazoacetate leads to moderately selective cyclopropane formation with a number of alkenes. These are illustrated in Table I. 

Scheme 161 Cyclopropane formation by cathodic y-elimination of a 1,3-dibromide.

The literature indicates that cyclopropane formation occurs in a stepwise manner [98-100], with the initial generation of a carbanion and subsequent Sn2 displacement. This was ascertained from experiments involving the reduction of meso- and d,/-2,4-dibromopentane. Each afforded roughly equal amounts of... 

There is a reduction in foaming (normally associated with ethene and cyclopropane formation) ... 

An internal diastereoselective alkylation reaction leading to cyclopropane formation 24 has been reported40. Although the 2-oxazolidinone moiety employed was not chiral, it should be possible to perform this reaction using a chiral auxiliary of the oxazolidinone type. 

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... 

Next to the cyclopropane formation, elimination represents the simplest type of a carbon-carbon bond formation in the homoenolates. Transition metal homoenolates readily eliminate a metal hydride unit to give a,p-unsaturated carbonyl compounds. Treatment of a mercurio ketone with palladium (II) chloride results in the formation of the enone presumably via a 3-palladio ketone (Eq. (24), Table 3) [8], The reaction can be carried out with catalytic amounts of palladium (II) by using CuCl2 as an oxidant. Isomerization of the initial exomethylene derivative to the more stable endo-olefin can efficiently be retarded by addition of triethylamine to the reaction mixture. 

The reaction of zinc homoenolate 9 with acid chlorides in ethereal solvents containing 2 equiv of HMPA rapidly produces 4-ketoesters in high yield Eq. (44) [33]. A palladium catalyst [40] (or less effectively a copper catalist) [28] accelerates the reaction. This is in contrast to the cyclopropane formation in a nonpolar solvent see (Eq. 22 above). 

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