Cyclopropenes, formation from

The question as to whether the thermal azirine formation proceeds through a vinyl nitrene intermediate or by a concerted mechanism is not as yet resolved. A nitrene intermediate seems most probable on the basis of its similarity with cyclopropene formation from alkenylcarbenesM>> and because either thermal or photochemical decomposition of vinyl azides yields die azirines (Table XI). 

As shown in Scheme 8.67, the cyclization of diazoalkenes 273 requires thermal activation and not only affords 3/7-pyrazoles 274, but also cyclopropenes 275 that are formed from carbene intermediates (319). The activation parameters for cyclopropene formation (i.e., N2 elimination from 273) have been determined (320). A novel example involves the cyclization of the 3-nitro-l-diazoprop-2-ene derivative 276 into pyrazolopyridine derivative 277 (45). 

Although cyclopropene formation has been observed to be reversible,150 and its conversion to indene has been achieved thermally,43 the two products are not interconvertible under the photochemical reaction conditions, showing that they are formed by different pathways.45,153 An elegant proof of this is the isolation of different indenes from 116 and 118 (Scheme 59).71... 

Section I1,D,1 The kinetics have been studied for competitive formation of 3//-pyrazoles and cyclopropenes thermally from the isomeric vinyldiazo compounds 2,3-dimethyl-l-phenyl-l-diazo-2-butene and 4-methyI-3-phenyl-2-diazo-3-pentene. The higher (12 kJ/mol) ground state energy of the latter accounts almost entirely for its larger (x68) rate of cyclization to a 3H-pyrazole, relative to its isomer.172... 

The formation of propyne and allene by pyrolysis of cyclopropene arises from opposite [1,2]H shifts in diradicals 191 or 192 The substantially larger activation energy (by some 24.5 kJ mol" ) for formation of allene reflects differences in the transition state structures for the two processes. Thus, the propyne-forming reaction requires the migrating hydrogen atom to span a single bond (see 194), whilst in the allene-forming process a double bond is involved and a more strained situation ensues (see 195). The formation of but-2-yne from 3-methylcyclopropene is similarly rationalized but the... 

In some cases, the rearrangements were observed on undistilled cyclopropenes derived from elimination of halogen from a trilialocyclopropane using mcthyllithium. It was shown that the reactions occurred much more slowly with distilled samples, and that, in this latter case, the addition of lithium halide increased the rate, e.g. formation of... 

The latter product is an example of a concerted, photochemically allowed, elec-trocyclic reaction. A hydrogen atom migration from the cyclopropyldimethyl radical can account for the cyclopropene formation. This product, then, is suggestive of a ring structure in the excited state ... 

The photochemical study of 3H-pyrazoles was carried out in the search for a route to cyclopropenyl tertiary alcohols. Irradiation of 63a in dry dichloromethane at 300 nm and at room temperature for 0.5 h led to the exclusive formation of the gem-dimethylcyclopropene 65 (Scheme 17). The formation of cyclopropene 65 arises from the loss of N2 and cycUzation of the vinylcarbene intermediate (III). 

Products of a so-called vinylogous Wolff rearrangement (see Sect. 9) rather than products of intramolecular cyclopropanation are generally obtained from P,y-unsaturated diazoketones I93), the formation of tricyclo[2,1.0.02 5]pentan-3-ones from 2-diazo-l-(cyclopropene-3-yl)-l-ethanones being a notable exception (see Table 10 and reference 12)). The use of Cu(OTf), does not change this situation for diazoketone 185 in the presence of an alcoholl93). With Cu(OTf)2 in nitromethane, on the other hand, A3-hydrinden-2-one 186 is formed 160). As 186 also results from the BF3 Et20-catalyzed reaction in similar yield, proton catalysis in the Cu(OTf)2-catalyzed reaction cannot be excluded, but electrophilic attack of the metal carbene on the double bond (Scheme 26) is also possible. That Rh2(OAc)4 is less efficient for the production of 186, would support the latter explanation, as the rhodium carbenes rank as less electrophilic than copper carbenes. 

Under the catalytic action of Rh2(OAc)4, formation of a propargylic ether from a terminal alkyne (229, R1=H) is preferred as long as no steric hindrance by the adjacent group is felt162,218>. Otherwise, cyclopropenation may become the dominant reaction path [e.g. 229 (R1 = H, R2 = R3 = Me) and methyl diazoacetate 56% of cyclopropene, 36% of propargylic ether162)], in contrast to the situation with allylic alcohols, where O/H insertion is rather insensitive to steric influences. 

The elusive diazoalkenes 6 and 14 are unlikely to react with methanol as their basicity should be comparable to that of diphenyldiazomethane. However, since the formation of diazonium ions cannot be rigorously excluded, the protonation of vinylcarbenes was to be confirmed with non-nitrogenous precursors. Vinyl-carbenes are presumedly involved in photorearrangements of cyclopropenes.21 In an attempt to trap the intermediate(s), 30 was irradiated in methanol. The ethers 32 and 35 (60 40) were obtained,22 pointing to the intervention of the al-lylic cation 34 (Scheme 10). Protonation of the vinylcarbene 31 is a likely route to 34. However, 34 could also arise from protonation of photoexcited 30, by way of the cyclopropyl cation 33. The photosolvolysis of alkenes is a well-known reaction which proceeds according to Markovnikov s rule and is, occasionally, associated with skeletal reorganizations.23 Therefore, cyclopropenes are not the substrates of choice for demonstrating the protonation of vinylcarbenes. 

In 1987, Nitta reported the formation of an unexpected vinylketene complex from the reaction of an azido-substituted cyclopropene with diiron nonacarbonyl.104 They had previously investigated the chemical behavior of the complexed nitrene intermediates that result from the reaction of organic azides and iron carbonyls113 and were interested in replicating the thermal isomerization of 3-azido-l,2,3-triphenylcyclopropene (163) into 4,5,6-triphenyl-l,2,3-triazine using a metal carbonyl-promoted re-... 

As discussed in Section 3.1.6, cyclopropenes can react with rhodium complexes [38,585,587-589,1061,1063] or other transition metal derivatives to yield vinylcarbene complexes (see Section 3.1.6). This reaction will proceed particularly smoothly with strained cyclopropenes, because these can already isomerize thermally to vinylcarbenes [1064]. Hence the formation of vinylcarbene complexes from alkynes can proceed by initial cyclopropanation, followed by reaction of the resulting cyclopropene with the complex L,M. 

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