Cyclopropanes, in organic synthesis

ReiBig, H.-U. Donor-Acceptor-Substituted Cyclopropanes Versatile Building Blocks in Organic Synthesis, 144, 73-135 (1987). 

Although the base-catalyzed addition of nitroalkanes to electron-deficient olefins has been extensively used in organic synthesis (see Michael addition Chapter 4), it is only recently that the reaction has been extended to the cyclopropanation reaction. In 1978, it was reported that the anion of nitromethane reacts with certain highly electron-deficient olefins to produce cyclopropanes in good yield (Eq. 7.36).36 More recently, this reaction has been extended to more general cyclopropanations, as shown in Eqs. 7.37 and 7.38, in which potassium salts of nitroalkanes are employed in DMSO as alkylidene transfer reagents.37-39... 

This sequence illustrates a very general method for the synthesis of methyl y-oxoalkanoates which are valuable intermediates in organic synthesis.3 6 The scope of the cyclopropanation reaction is very broad only functional groups interacting with the carbenoid generated from melhyl diazoacetate are not compatible. Use of Rh2(OAc)4 instead of Cu(acac)2 as catalyst did not afford better yields.3 The cyclopropanation reaction has been performed with similar efficiency on scales from 4 mmol up to 500 mmol. 

Furthermore, cyclopropane structures have often served as intermediates in organic synthesis. For these reasons, olefin cyclopropanation has proved to be a useful tool for synthetic organic chemists. This has led to the development of several methods for cyclopropanation reactions,91 including the metal-catalyzed reactions of diazo compounds with olefins, as well as the Simmons-Smith reaction. 

Strained molecules such as cyclopropanes and cyclobutanes have emerged as important intermediates in organic synthesis. We have already demonstrated here that cyclobutane derivatives can indeed serve as starting materials for the synthesis of natural as well as unnatural products. Unlike cyclopropanes, which can be prepared asymmetrically in a number of ways 175 -182>, the asymmetric synthesis of cyclobutane derivative has received less attention, and, to our best knowledge, very few reports were recorded recently 183). Obviously, the ready availability of chiral cyclobutane derivatives would greatly enhance their usefulness in the enantioselective synthesis of natural products. The overcome of this last hurdle would allow cyclobutane derivatives to play an even more important role in synthetic organic chemistry. 

Hence, cationic iron carbene complexes such as Cp(CO)2Fe =CHCHZR, in which Z is an electron-withdrawing group, might also be suitable for intermolecular cyclopropanation or C-H insertion reactions. The use of such carbene complexes in organic synthesis has not yet been thoroughly investigated, but could fruitfully supplement the chemistry of acceptor-substituted carbenes. 

Vicinally donor-acceptor-substituted cyclopropanol carboxylic esters have been proven to be versatile synthetic building blocks in organic synthesis [11]. They readily undergo a retroaldol reaction, thus creating a stable enolate that at the same time can be considered as a homoenolate in relation to the newly formed carbonyl function. Shimada et al. applied this strategy to the preparation of y-substituted lactones starting from cyclopropane 21 (Scheme 3) [12]. 

The authors, the editor and the publisher express the hope that this latest volume Small Ring Compounds in Organic Synthesis just like the previous five will help to stress the ever-increasing importance of cyclopropane chemistry and stir new interest in its multifold applications. 

The C-H activation of allylic and benzylic C-H bonds has considerable application in organic synthesis. Studies by Muller [131] and Davies [130] on reactions with cyclohexene revealed that Rh2(S-DOSP)4 in a hydrocarbon solvent is the optimum system for high asymmetric induction (Tab. 14.13). Although this particular example gives a mixture of the C-H activation product 179 and cyclopropane 180, similar reactions with ethyl diazoacetate gave virtually no C-H activation product. Some of the other classic chiral dirhodium catalysts 181 and 182 were also effective in this chemistry, but the en-antioselectivity with these catalysts (45% ee and 55% ee) [131] was considerably lower than with Rh2(S-DOSP)4 (93% ee) [130]. 

Only a limited number of examples are known of applications of thietanes in organic synthesis. Prominent among these examples would be electrophilic ring opening reactions leading to polyfunctional sulfur compounds (33)-(37), utilization of 3-thietanones (55) and metal complexes (87) derived therefrom as oxyallyl zwitterion equivalents in cycloaddition reactions, synthesis of dipeptide (63) with a /3-thiolactone, Raney nickel desulfurization of thietanes (e.g. 120 cf. Table 7) as a route to gem-dimethyl compounds, and desulfurization of thietanes (e.g. 17) in the synthesis of cyclopropanes (also see Table 7). 

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... 

Intermolecular cyclopropanation of diazoketones is an effective method in organic synthesis. Wenkert and coworkers have applied this methodology to the synthesis of a substantial number of cyclopropane adducts 2868, 2969 and 307° which are synthetic intermediates in the preparation of natural products (equations 41—43). Copper catalysts were chosen for these transformations. Another interesting application of intermolecular cyclopropanation is to be found in Daniewski s total synthesis of an aromatic steroid. Palladium(II) acetate catalysed decomposition of 4-bromo-l-diazo-2-butanone in the presence of m-methoxystyrene was used to give the cyclopropyl ketone 31 which was a key intermediate in the total synthesis (equation 44)71. 

With a range of methods available for the formation of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds, the dicarbonyl diazomethanes can be readily prepared via a simple diazo transfer reaction with sulfonyl azide. This has made a vast array of dicarbonyl diazomethanes available, which enhances the versatility in organic synthesis. A selection of examples from recent literature to illustrate the versatility of the cyclopropanation using dicarbonyl diazomethane in the construction of natural products as well as other biologically active compounds is described below. 

Three-membered cyclic ethers are important as reactive intermediates in organic synthesis. Like the cyclopropanes, the vicinal2 disubstituted compounds have cis and trans isomers ... 

Another broad class of compounds are the bridged carbene complexes. These compounds contain two identical or two different metal centers with the carbene centers bonded to both of the metal atoms in a bridging relationship. However, these binuclear complexes generally do not show classical carbene reactivity and will therefore not be discussed further, except to mention briefly the special case of the titanium-aluminum complex (3) developed by Tebbe and Grubbs and their coworkers.101 This, and related complexes, has proven to be particularly useful in organic synthesis, although its principal importance is in reactions other than cyclopropanations. 

It is abundantly clear from the preceding discussion that dihalocyclopropanes are versatile intermediates in organic synthesis. Although a wealth of chemistry has already been uncovered, prospects remain bright for interesting developments in the future. Areas such as the application of dihalocyclopropanes in heterocyclic synthesis via carbene insertion into C—H bonds adjacent to heteroatoms, reactions of dihalocyclopropanes with organometallics and the synthetic applications of metallated derivatives deserve further exploration. The chemistry of difluoro-, diiodo- and mixed dihalo-cyclopropanes can be expected to attract some attention. Finally, other heteroatom-substituted cyclopropanes derived ftom dihalocyclopropanes will also invoke further investigation. 

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