Cyclopropanes stereospecificity

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). 

Lack of stereospecificity, extensive formation of olefinic products, and extensive tar formation limit the thermal decomposition of pyrazolines as a route to cyclopropanes.182 263 Light-induced decomposition of stereoisomeric pyrazolines establishes a method for the formation of cyclopropanes stereospecifically.222 Photolysis of 3-carbomethoxy-cis-3,4-dimethyl-l-pyrazoline (CCLI) produced cis-l,2-dimethylcycIopropane-l-carboxylate (CCLII) and without olefinic formation. Furthermore, irradiation of 3-carbomethoxy-trans-3,4-dimethyl-l-pyrazoline (CCLIII) gave [Pg.123]

Analogously, the gas-phase thermal decomposition of trifluoro(l,l,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl)silane (at 140-200 C) or trimethyl(l,l,2,2-tetrafluoroethyI)silane (at 300-370°C) generated di-fluoromethyl(fluoro)carbene which underwent addition to alkenes to give 1-difluoromethyl-l-fluorocyclopropane 8. ° (Z)- and ( )-But-2-ene were cyclopropanated stereospecifically, and allylic C-H insertion was not observed. With dimethyl(vinyl)silane or allyl(dimeth-yl)silane, however, the carbene underwent both double bond addition and Si-H insertion. ... 

Carbenoid A reactive substance that, like a carbene, converts alkenes to cyclopropanes stereospecifically. Carbocation Positively charged carbon. 

In the presence of more conventional bases carbene production is supressed. The decomposition of the chlorodifluoromethyl anion has been shown to be reversible and the yield of difluorocyclopropane is increased by increasing the alkene concentration. Epoxides upon treatment with dichlorocarbene afford cyclopropanes stereospecific-ally. The reaction proceeds by stereospecific deoxygenation of the epoxide to give olefin (41) which is subsequently trapped by the carbene. 

Brefeldin A, and 5-stannyl 3 and benzyl alcohols used to form cyclopropanes stereospecifically with inversion at both C atoms. ... 

In another route to cyclopropanes, diiodomethane is treated with zinc powder (usually activated with copper) to generate ICH2ZnI, called the Simmons-Smith reagent This species is an example of a carbenoid, or carbene-like substance, because, like carbenes, it also converts alkenes into cyclopropanes stereospecifically. Use of the Simmons-Smith reagent in cyclopropane synthesis avoids the hazards associated with diazomethane preparation. 

Simmons-Smith reagent Named after the duPont chemists who discovered that diiodo-mechane would react with an active zinc-copper couple in ether to give a reagent with molecular formula ICHiZnl. The reagent adds stereospecifically cis- to alkenes to give cyclopropanes in high yields. 

Methylene transfer from lodomethylzmc iodide is stereospecific Substituents that were cis in the alkene remain cis m the cyclopropane... 

The thermally formed difluorocarbene adds stereospecifically to either (Z)- or ( )-butene to form the corresponding dimethyldifluorocyclopropanes, which points to a singlet difluorocarbene. With butadiene mono- (220) and bis-cyclopropanated product (221) are formed, and with perfluorobutadiene the mono-adduct (222) results 65JA758). 

Photolysis of the parent compound (44) yields singlet methylene, as evidenced by its stereospecific addition to ( )-butene. The cyclopropane is formed together with the characteristic insertion products of methylene (62MI50800, 64PAC(9)527)... 

The photolysis of a-diazosulfones dissolved in alkenes provides sulfonyl-substituted cyclopropanes in high yields. This is exemplified by the preparation of l-(p-methoxyphenylsulfonyl)-2,2,3,3-tetra-methylcyclopropane in 75% yield from -methoxybenzenesulfonyl-diazomethane and 2,3-dimethyl-2-butene. A similar addition to [Pg.101]

Two different routes to PCs via bicyclo[3.1.0]hexane intermediates are shown. In route 1 stereo- and position-specific addition of dichloroketene to a bicyclo[3.1.0]hexene provided the framework for elaboration to prostanoids. Route 2 featured stereospecific internal cyclopropanation and stereospecific Sn2 displacement of carbon to establish the prostanoid nucleus. 

The Simmons-Smith reaction (Section 14.12) Methylene transfer from iodo-methylzinc iodide converts alkenes to cyclopropanes. The reaction is a stereospecific syn addition of a CH2 group to the double bond. 

If dichlorocarbene is generated in the presence of an alkene, addition to the double bond occurs and a dichlorocyclopropane is formed. As the reaction of dichlorocarbene with ds-2-pentene demonstrates, the addition is stereospecific, meaning that only a single stereoisomer is formed as product. Starting from a cis alkene, for instance, only cis-disubstituted cyclopropane is produced starting from a trans alkene, only trans-disubstituted cyclopropane is produced. 

Both (cis- and trans-) isomers rearrange stereospecifically to the cis-rearranged cyclopropane product (i.e. 257), the processes being apparently controlled by the same cis-anion intermediate (i.e. 256)... 

There is a limitation to the use of stereospecificity of addition as a diagnostic test for singlet or triplet carbenes.When carbenes are generated by photolytic methods, they are often in a highly excited singlet state. When they add to the double bond, the addition is stereospecific but the cyclopropane formed carries excess... 

Photolysis of the sulphinyl-3ff-pyrazole 587 in ether or methylene chloride leads to the formation of a relatively stable carbene 588 that can be identified by physical methods. When the irradiation is performed in ethyl vinyl ether or in furan, the expected cyclopropanes are formed smoothly and stereospecifically (equation 374). 

Cyclopropanation with Halomethylzinc Reagents. A very effective means for conversion of alkenes to cyclopropanes by transfer of a CH2 unit involves reaction with methylene iodide and a zinc-copper couple, referred to as the Simmons-Smith reagent.169 The reactive species is iodomethylzinc iodide.170 The transfer of methylene occurs stereospecifically. Free CH2 is not an intermediate. Entries 1 to 3 in Scheme 10.9 are typical examples. 

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

Photolysis of diazocyclopentadiene in trans- and cw-methyl-2-pentene results in products (12) and (13), respectively, in an essentially stereospecific manner (1-2% of the t/ww-cyclopropane was observed to result from addition to the cis olefin)<26> ... 

Copper(II) triflate has also been used for the carbenoid cyclopropanation reaction of simple olefins like cyclohexene, 2-methylpropene, cis- or rran.y-2-butene and norbomene with vinyldiazomethane 2 26,27). Although the yields were low (20-38 %), this catalyst is far superior to other copper salts and chelates except for copper(II) hexafluoroacetylaeetonate [Cu(hfacac)2], which exhibits similar efficiency. However, highly nucleophilic vinyl ethers, such as dihydropyran and dihydrofuran cannot be cyclopropanated as they rapidly polymerize on contact with Cu(OTf)2. With these substrates, copper(II) trifluoroacetate or copper(II) hexafluoroacetylaeetonate have to be used. The vinylcyclopropanation is stereospecific with cis- and rra s-2-butene. The 7-vinylbicyclo[4.1.0]heptanes formed from cyclohexene are obtained with the same exo/endo ratio in both the Cu(OTf)2 and Cu(hfacac)2 catalyzed reaction. The... 

The transition-metal induced rearrangement of strained cyclopropanes is mostly caused by inserting metal atoms into a three-membered ring, thus producing metallacycles and/or rf- allyl metal complexes. Tipper reported the first example of the metallacycles obtained from [Pt(C2H4)Cl2]2 [3]. The stereospecific addition of cyclopropanes has been investigated from both mechanistic and synthetic view points [4],... 

The ring-opening of the cyclopropane nitrosourea 233 with silver trifiate followed by stereospecific [4 + 2] cycloaddition yields 234 [129]. (Scheme 93) Oxovanadium(V) compounds, VO(OR)X2, are revealed to be Lewis acids with one-electron oxidation capability. These properties permit versatile oxidative transformations of carbonyl and organosilicon compounds as exemplified by ring-opening oxygenation of cyclic ketones [130], dehydrogenative aroma-tization of 2-eyclohexen-l-ones [131], allylic oxidation of oc,/ -unsaturated carbonyl compounds [132], decarboxylative oxidation of a-amino acids [133], oxidative desilylation of silyl enol ethers [134], allylic silanes, and benzylic silanes [135]. 

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