Cyclopropane/transition metal complexes

The transition metal promoted rearrangements of small ring organic molecules have received intense examination. A variety of unexpected and unusual rearrangements have been described and a number of cyclopropane-transition metal complexes have been isolated and characterized. ... 

Catalytic, enantioselective cyclopropanation enjoys the unique distinction of being the first example of asymmetric catalysis with a transition metal complex. The landmark 1966 report by Nozaki et al. [1] of decomposition of ethyl diazoacetate 3 with a chiral copper (II) salicylamine complex 1 (Scheme 3.1) in the presence of styrene gave birth to a field of endeavor which still today represents one of the major enterprises in chemistry. In view of the enormous growth in the field of asymmetric catalysis over the past four decades, it is somewhat ironic that significant advances in cyclopropanation have only emerged in the past ten years. 

Metal-Catalyzed. Cyclopropanation. Carbene addition reactions can be catalyzed by several transition metal complexes. Most of the synthetic work has been done using copper or rhodium complexes and we focus on these. The copper-catalyzed decomposition of diazo compounds is a useful reaction for formation of substituted cyclopropanes.188 The reaction has been carried out with several copper salts,189 and both Cu(I) and Cu(II) triflate are useful.190 Several Cu(II)salen complexes, such as the (V-f-butyl derivative, which is called Cu(TBS)2, have become popular catalysts.191... 

It has been widely accepted that the carbene-transfer reaction using a diazo compound and a transition metal complex proceeds via the corresponding metal carbenoid species. Nishiyama et al. characterized spectroscopically the structure of the carbenoid intermediate that underwent the desired cyclopropanation with high enantio- and diastereoselectivity, derived from (91).254,255 They also isolated a stable dicarbonylcarbene complex and demonstrated by X-ray analysis that the carbene moiety of the complex was almost parallel in the Cl—Ru—Cl plane and perpendicular to the pybox plane (vide infra).255 These results suggest that the rate-determining step of metal-catalyzed cyclopropanation is not carbenoid formation, but the carbene-transfer reaction.254... 

Certain transition metal complexes catalyze the decomposition of diazo compounds. The metal-bonded carbene intermediates behave differently from the free species generated via photolysis or thermolysis of the corresponding carbene precursor. The first catalytic asymmetric cyclopropanation reaction was reported in 1966 when Nozaki et al.93 showed that the cyclopropane compound trans- 182 was obtained as the major product from the cyclopropanation of styrene with diazoacetate with an ee value of 6% (Scheme 5-56). This reaction was effected by a copper(II) complex 181 that bears a salicyladimine ligand. 

The transition metal-catalyzed cyclopropanation of alkenes is one of the most efficient methods for the preparation of cyclopropanes. In 1959 Dull and Abend reported [617] their finding that treatment of ketene diethylacetal with diazomethane in the presence of catalytic amounts of copper(I) bromide leads to the formation of cyclopropanone diethylacetal. The same year Wittig described the cyclopropanation of cyclohexene with diazomethane and zinc(II) iodide [494]. Since then many variations and improvements of this reaction have been reported. Today a large number of transition metal complexes are known which react with diazoalkanes or other carbene precursors to yield intermediates capable of cyclopropanating olefins (Figure 3.32). However, from the commonly used catalysts of this type (rhodium(II) or palladium(II) carboxylates, copper salts) no carbene complexes have yet been identified spectroscopically. 

In addition to catalytically active transition metal complexes, several stable, electrophilic carbene complexes have been prepared, which can be used to cyclopropanate alkenes (Figure 3.32). These complexes have to be used in stoichiometric quantities to achieve complete conversion of the substrate. Not surprisingly, this type of carbene complex has not attained such broad acceptance by organic chemists as have catalytic cyclopropanations. However, for certain applications the use of stoichiometric amounts of a transition metal carbene complex offers practical advantages such as mild reaction conditions or safer handling. 

Cyclopropanations with diazomethane can proceed with surprisingly high diastereo-selectivities (Table 3.4) [643,662-664]. However, enantioselective cyclopropanations with diazomethane and enantiomerically pure, catalytically active transition metal complexes have so far furnished only low enantiomeric excesses [650,665] or racemic products [666]. These disappointing results are consistent with the results obtained in stoichiometric cyclopropanations with enantiomerically pure Cp(CO)(Ph3P)Fe=CH2 X , which also does not lead to high asymmetric induction (see Section 3.2.2.1). 

Ylides other than acceptor-substituted diazomethanes have only occasionally been used as carbene-complex precursors. lodonium ylides (PhI=CZ Z ) [1017,1050-1056], sulfonium ylides [673], sulfoxonium ylides [1057] and thiophenium ylides [1058,1059] react with electrophilic transition metal complexes to yield intermediates capable of undergoing C-H or N-H insertions and olefin cyclopropanations. 

Acceptor-substituted carbene complexes are highly reactive intermediates, capable of transforming organic compounds in many different ways. Typical reactions include insertion into o-bonds, cyclopropanation, and ylide formation. Generally, acceptor-substituted carbene complexes are not isolated and used in stoichiometric amounts, but generated in situ from a carbene precursor and transition metal derivative. Usually only catalytic quantities of a transition metal complex are required for complete conversion of a carbene precursor via an intermediate carbene complex into the final product. 

Mono-functionalization of Cyg affords, preferrably, C(l)-C(2) adducts (type a) (Figure 13.3). In some cases, for example, upon nucleophilic cyclopropanations they even represent the exclusively formed monoadducts [1-3,17]. Typical examples of addition reactions that afford monoadducts are epoxidations [18,19], osmylation [9], transition metal complex formations [20, 21], hydrogenation [13, 22], many cycloadditions [1, 2] and additions of nucleophiles [23]. For the formation and the chemical transformation of azahomo[70]fullerenes see also Chapter 12 (Schemes 12.4 and 12.5). 

One of the earliest enantioselective carbon-carbon bond-forming processes catalyzed by chiral transition-metal complexes is asymmetric cyclopropanation discussed in Chapter 5, which can proceed via face-selective carbometallation of carbene-metal complexes. Some other more recently developed enantioselective carbon-carbon bond forming reactions, such as Pd-catalyzed enantioselective alkene-CO copolymerization (Chapter 7) and Pd-catalyzed enantioselective alkene cyclization (Chapter 8.7), are thought to involve face-selective carbometallation of acy 1-Pd and carbon-Pd bonds, respectively (Scheme 4.4). Similarly, the asymmetric Pauson-Khand reaction catalyzed by chiral Co complexes most likely involves face-selective cyclic carbometallation of chiral alkyne-Co complexes (Chapter 8,7). 

Metal complexes enable one to employ molecules that are thermally unreactive toward cycloadditions by taking advantage of their ability to be activated through complexation. Most of the molecules activated by transition-metal complexes involve C-C unsaturated bonds such as alkynes, alkenes, 1,3-dienes, allenes, and cyclopropanes. In contrast, carbonyl functionalities such as aldehydes, ketones, esters, and imines seldom participate in transition-metal-catalyzed carbonylative cycloaddition reactions. Recently, such a transformation was reported via the use of ruthenium complexes. 

Among transition metal complexes, the ubiquitous dicarbonylcyclopentadienyliron (Fp) complexes are the first, and perhaps the best, representatives to demonstrate the utility of metal-halogen exchange reactions in metallacyclopropane synthesis. Thus, reaction of the readily available sodium dicarbonylcyclopentadienyliron [Cp(CO)2Fe]Na (FpNa) with the parent cyclopropyl bromide " and derivatives " gave in moderate yields the corresponding cyclopropane-Fp complexes (equation 3). 

Yet another type of SO2 insertion reaction occurs with transition metal complexes containing a cyclopropane ring. The reaction opens the ring to give a cyclic sulphone. 

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... 

Cyclopropanes can also be obtained in acidolysis reactions of cyclopropene-transition-metal complexes. This reaction has been used analytically to prove the eoordination of an intact three-membered ring to a metal eenter. For example, dichlorobis(> -cyclopentadienyl)niobium (10), upon treatment with sodium amalgam in toluene in the presence of eyclopropene, gives a moss-green eyclopropene eomplex 11 which can be isolated and characterized by its NMR spectrum. Treatment of complex 11 with hydrochloric acid results in the formation of almost pure cyclopropane, according to GC analysis. 

For the preparation of cyclopropanes from transition-metal complexes see Section 5.2.6., p 1849. Various transition-metal complexes are able to undergo addition to the exocyclic double bond of methylenecyclopropanes with formation of a (7 bond between the carbon and metal atoms. A variety of methylenecyclopropanes with one or two methyl groups in positions 1 and 2 were reacted with bis(cyclopentadienyl)titanium dichloride and isopropylmagnesium bromide to give the corresponding neutral bis(cyclopentadienyl)cyclopropylmethyltitanium(III) compounds 1 in yields ranging from 23 to The carbon-metal [Pg.1512]

Main group metals and transition metals play an important role in cyclopropane synthesis. This section discusses cyclopropane synthesis via release of the ring system from transition-metal complexes. Only methods starting from isolable or potentially isolable transition-metal complexes are included. For other methods of cyclopropane synthesis involving transition-metal complexes as reagents or as reactive intermediates, see Sections l.C (Coordination Chemistry of Cyclopropanes). 

Two different types of cyclopropane release from transition-metal complexes are encountered ... 

A related subject dealing with coordination chemistry of cyclopropanes is discussed in Section l.C. There, conversion with or without ring-opening of the three-membered ring is described. Included is the intermediate formation and ring opening of cyclopropanes with transition-metal complexes. 

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