Cyclopropanes reaction with electrophiles

See in this paper the very valuable compilation of references concerning successful generation and reactions with electrophiles of metalaled unsub-stituted and substituted cyclopropanecarboxy-lates and other cyclopropane nucleophiles with electron-withdrawing substituents. 

This dominance of sulfur in the reactions with electrophiles is well brought out in the addition of carbenes to the-two monocycles. Tire allylic sulfide (5,6-dihydro-2jF/- thiopyran) only affords the products of reaction at sulfur, while the vinylic sulfide (3,4-dihydro-2f/-thiopyran), in which the alkene is a little more nucleophilic due to the small interaction with the heteroatom, shows dichotomous behaviour. Dichlorocarbene affords the cyclopropane product (78) in 70% yield, but the stabilized ylide (76) is produced from bismethoxycar-bonylmethylide and (75). In fact it is possible that the initial reaction with dichlorocarbene is reaction at sulfur and subsequent rearrangement of this less stabilized ylide. Schemes 6 and 7 illustrate the results and proposed mechanisms (77JOC3365,64JOC2211). 

Dioximato-cobalt(II) catalysts are unusual in their ability to catalyze cyclopropanation reactions that occur with conjugated olefins (e.g., styrene, 1,3-butadiene, and 1-phenyl-1,3-butadiene) and, also, certain a, 3-unsaturated esters (e.g., methyl a-phenylacrylate, Eq. 5.13), but not with simple olefins and vinyl ethers. In this regard they do not behave like metal carbenes formed with Cu or Rh catalysts that are characteristically electrophilic in their reactions towards alkenes (vinyl ethers > dienes > simple olefins a,p-unsaturated esters) [7], and this divergence has not been adequately explained. However, despite their ability to attain high enantioselectivities in cyclopropanation reactions with ethyl diazoacetate and other diazo esters, no additional details concerning these Co(II) catalysts have been published since the initial reports by Nakamura and Otsuka. 

An extension of the synthetic applicability of lithium halomethanes is achieved by the simultanous presence of another main group heteroatom at the same carbon. Thus, if one of the chlorine atoms of dichloromethyllithium is replaced by a sulfonylamin group, the following products are obtained by reaction with electrophiles (Eq. (23)) 25). The substituted carbenoid can be converted to normal carbonyl adducts as well as to olefins and cyclopropanes. 

In functionalized alkenes, a sufficiently nucleophilic substituent, that is not directly attached to the double bond, usually interferes with the cyclopropanation reaction. Typically, electrophilic attack of the metal-carbene intermediate to a heteroatom lone pair generates an ylide that undergoes further reactions to generate a stable product. 

Interestingly, cobalt porphyrin catalysts tend to prevent carbene dimerization reactions, and allow cyclopropanation reactions with electron-deficient alkenes. This feature illustrates the more nucleophilic behavior of the carbenoid species formed as compared to typical electrophilic Fischer carbenes. The enhanced nucleophilic character of the carbene reduces its tendency to dimerize and allows reactions with more electron-deficient olefins. 

It is interesting to note that the latter result is exceptional since l,l-bis(phenyl-seleno)cyclopropane is the only selenoacetal derived from ketones to be at least partially cleaved under these conditions and even the homologous cyclobutyl derivative is inert under these conditions. This may be due to the extra stabilization introduced by the cyclopropyl ring. The case of 2-decy 1-1,1-bis(methylseleno)cyclo-propane merits further comment. It is difficult to assess whether the cleavage of the carbon-selenium bond occurs on the methylseleno moiety cis or tram to the alkyl group, since this organometallic leads to a mixture of the two possible stereoisomers on further reaction with electrophiles (Scheme 16). 

The philicity of singlet carbenes is an important concept to classify carbenes that was systematically studied by Moss. [9-11] The relative reactivity (selectivity) of a series of singlet carbenes in cyclopropanation reactions with electron rich and electron poor carbenes was used to quantify the carbene philicity. An empirical carbene philicity scale with a parameter niQ- (where X and Y are the substituents at the carbene center) was defined (Figure 1). Electrophilic carbenes show Wqxy values below 1, nucleophilic carbenes above 2, and ambiphiles are between. [10] Ambiphilic carbenes act as an electrophile towards electron-rich alkenes and as a nucleophile towards electron-poor alkenes. The niQ- Y values obey an empirical linear free energy relationship with the Taft substituent parameters and Oj. This allows to estimate the niQ- Y values of unknown carbenes. 

The stabilization of chloromethoxycarbene (234) was intensively studied. It is formed from diazirine (233) in a first order reaction with fi/2 = 34h at 20 C. It reacts either as a nucleophile, adding to electron poor alkenes like acrylonitrile with cyclopropanation, or as an electrophile, giving diphenylcyclopropenone with the electron rich diphenylacetylene. In the absence of reaction partners (234) decomposes to carbon monoxide and methyl chloride (78TL1931, 1935). 

The similarity between the reactions of alkenes and cyclopropanes is further demonstrated by the reactions of electrophilic cyclopropanes and cyclopropenes with enamines. Cyclopropylcyanoester74, when treated with the pyrrolidine enamine of cyclohexanone, undergoes what would be a 1,2 cycloaddition in the analogous alkene case, but is actually a 1,3 cycloaddition here, to form adduct 75 (90). A similar reaction between the... 

The Corey-Chaykovsky reaction entails the reaction of a sulfur ylide, either dimethylsulfoxonium methylide (1, Corey s ylide, sometimes known as DMSY) or dimethylsulfonium methylide (2), with electrophile 3 such as carbonyl, olefin, imine, or thiocarbonyl, to offer 4 as the corresponding epoxide, cyclopropane, aziridine, or thiirane. ... 

Alkenes of all types can be converted to cyclopropane derivatives by this reaction (though difficulty may be encountered with sterically hindered ones). Even tetracyanoethylene, which responds very poorly to electrophilic attack, gives cyclopropane derivatives with carbenes.Conjugated dienes give 1,2 addition ... 

In contrast to ethyl diazoacetate, diethyl diazomalonate reacts with allyl bromide in the presence of Rh2(OAc)4 to give the ylide-derived diester favored by far over the cyclopropane (at 60 °C 93 7 ratio). This finding bespeaks the greater electrophilic selectivity of the carbenoid derived from ethyl diazomalonate. For reasons unknown, this property is not expressed, however, in the reaction with allyl chloride, as the carbenoids from both ethyl diazoacetate and diethyl diazomalonate exhibit a similarly high preference for cyclopropanation. 

It is supposed that the nickel enolate intermediate 157 reacts with electrophiles rather than with protons. The successful use of trimethylsilyl-sub-stituted amines (Scheme 57) permits a new carbon-carbon bond to be formed between 157 and electrophiles such as benzaldehyde and ethyl acrylate. The adduct 158 is obtained stereoselectively only by mixing nickel tetracarbonyl, the gem-dibromocyclopropane 150, dimethyl (trimethylsilyl) amine, and an electrophile [82]. gem-Functionalization on a cyclopropane ring carbon atom is attained in this four-component coupling reaction. Phenyl trimethyl silylsulfide serves as an excellent nucleophile to yield the thiol ester, which is in sharp contrast to the formation of a complicated product mixture starting from thiols instead of the silylsulfide [81]. (Scheme 58)... 

Calculations [28] on the formation of cyclopropanes from electrophilic Fischer-type carbene complexes and alkenes suggest that this reaction does not generally proceed via metallacyclobutane intermediates. The least-energy pathway for this process starts with electrophilic addition of the carbene carbon atom to the alkene (Figure 1.9). Ring closure occurs by electrophilic attack of the second carbon atom... 

The reaction of acceptor-substituted carbene complexes with alcohols to yield ethers is a valuable alternative to other etherification reactions [1152,1209-1211], This reaction generally proceeds faster than cyclopropanation [1176], As in other transformations with electrophilic carbene complexes, the reaction conditions are mild and well-suited to base- or acid-sensitive substrates [1212], As an illustrative example, Experimental Procedure 4.2.4 describes the carbene-mediated etherification of a serine derivative. This type of substrate is very difficult to etherify under basic conditions (e.g. NaH, alkyl halide [1213]), because of an intramolecular hydrogen-bond between the nitrogen-bound hydrogen and the hydroxy group. Further, upon treatment with bases serine ethers readily eliminate alkoxide to give acrylates. With the aid of electrophilic carbene complexes, however, acceptable yields of 0-alkylated serine derivatives can be obtained. 

One of the most efficient procedures for the synthesis of cyclopropanes is the reaction of alkenes with electrophilic carbene complexes. In this process up to three stereogenic centers can be generated in one step. Cyclopropanes are a key structural element encountered in many natural products with interesting biological activity. Further, by virtue of the ability of cyclopropanes to undergo ring-opening reactions these compounds can be valuable synthetic intermediates. 

Alkynes can be converted into cyclopropenes by inter- [587,1022,1052,1060-1062] or intramolecular [1070] cyclopropanation with electrophilic carbene complexes, Because of the high reactivity of cyclopropenes, however, in some of these reactions unexpected products can result from rearrangement or other transformations of the cyclopropenes initially formed (cf. Section 4,1,3),... 

The reaction of heteroatom-substituted alkenes with electrophilic carbene complexes can lead to the formation of highly reactive, donor-acceptor-substituted cyclopropanes. This type of cyclopropane usually undergoes ring fission and rearrangement reactions under milder conditions than do unsubstituted cyclopropanes (Figure 4.22). 

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