Diazoacetic reaction with alcohols

Insertion of a ketocarbene moiety into a C—O bond of orthoesters is normally performed with catalysis by BF3 Et20. Copper(II) trifiouromethanesulfonate was found to be a similarly efficient catalyst also, at least in some cases, whereas Rh2(OAc)4 was much less suited to promote this transformation l60). Besides the C/O insertion product 343, the alcohol insertion product 344 and, in reactions with ethyl diazoacetate, the formal carbene dimers were obtained. In agreement with BF3 EtzO, Cu(OTf)2 did not bring about insertion into a C—O bond of trimethyl... 

Iodorhodium(III) porphyrins generally lead to alkylrhodium(III) porphyrins (Scheme 42)398>. This is also true for the reaction with ethyl diazoacetate in the presence of HOAc or an alcohol, and the insertion product 412 (M = Rh) could not be detected, in contrast to the corresponding cobalt porphyrin. A mechanistic scheme, which includes the diverse reaction modes of metalloporphyrins towards diazo compounds, has been proposed by Callot 393,398). 

Some examples of diazoacetic esters bearing functionalized ester groups are given in Table 12. For intramolecular cyclopropanation reactions with diazoacetic esters derived from unsaturated alcohols see Section 1.2.1.2.4.2.6.3.4. 

Cyclopropenation. Cyclopropenes can be formed from alkynes by reaction with methyl diazoacetate using a rhodium(ll) carboxylate as catalyst. The reaction is not particularly subject to steric hindrance, but polar groups (CH2COOCH3) inhibit cyclopropenation markedly. Insertion reactions compete with cyclopropenation in the case of acetylenic alcohols. ... 

The process from the FMC company involves as the pivotal step an intramolecular stereoselective [2 + 1 [-cycloaddition. In a Prins reaction [94] of chloral and isobutene, followed by an isomerisation, a racemic, trichloromethyl-substituted aUyl alcohol is obtained. Reaction with the isocyanate from (R)-naphthylethyl-amine enables separation ofthe diastereomers by crystallisation. The carbamate is cleaved by trichlorosilane/triethylamine, thus permitting the recycling of the chiral auxiliary. The optically pure (R)-aUyl alcohol is reacted with diketene, to produce the / -keto-ester. After diazo transfer and basic cleavage, the diazoacetate is obtained catalysed by a copper salt, this is converted in a [2 + 1 ]-cyclo-addition into a bicyclic lactone. The Boord reaction (discovered by Cecil E. Boord in 1930) [95] finally gives (IR)-cis-permethric acid. [96]... 

Scheme 7.24 Three-component reaction of aiyl diazoacetate with alcohol, aldehyde and amine catalysed hy chiral phosphoric acid catalysis and rhodium catalysis.

Another chiral auxiliary-based approach was documented by Davies (Equation 5) [8, 34]. These studies involved diazo compounds that incorporate vinyl and C=0 substitution and revealed that these stable carbene precursors participate in a variety of useful transformations, including diastereoselective cydopropanations. Importantly, Davies found that the cydopropanations with 33, in contrast with those of their simpler diazoacetate counterparts, are highly diastereoselective. The reaction with styrene and chiral diazo compound 33 is representative treatment of styrene with 33 in the presence of a simple Rh catalyst resulted in the formation of product 34 with high asymmetric induction dr 98.5 1.5) and in 84% yield. In this example, the panto-lactone auxiliaiy is a convenient, readily available chiral alcohol. 

Ethyl benzoylacetate has been prepared by the condensation (by means of sodium ethylate) of ethyl acetate with ethyl benzoate,1 acetophenone with ethyl carbonate,2 and acetophenone with ethyl oxalate, with subsequent heating 3 by treatment of ethyl phenylpropiolate4 or a-bromocinnamic acid 5 with concentrated sulfuric acid, and of ethyl diazoacetate with benzalde-hyde 6 by the condensation of benzene with the monoethyl ester of malonyl monoacid chloride and aluminum chloride,7 of benzoyl chloride with the product of the reaction of magnesium and ethyl chloroacetate in ether,8 of alcohol on benzoylacetimino ethyl... 

Rh(Por)l (Por = OEP. TPP, TMP) also acts as a catalyst for the insertion of carbene fragments into the O—H bonds of alcohols, again using ethyl diazoacetate as the carbene source. A rhodium porphyrin carbene intermediate was proposed in the reaction, which is more effective for primary than secondary or tertiary alcohols, and with the bulky TMP ligand providing the most selectivity. ... 

Copper(II) triflate is quite inefficient in promoting cyclopropanation of allyl alcohol, and the use of f-butyl diazoacetate [164/(165+166) = 97/3%] brought no improvement over ethyl diazoacetate (67/6 %)162). If, however, copper(I) triflate was the catalyst, cyclopropanation with ethyl diazoacetate increased to 30% at the expense of O/H insertion (55%). As has already been discussed in Sect. 2.2.1, competitive coordination-type and carbenoid mechanisms may be involved in cyclopropanation with copper catalysts, and the ability of Cu(I) to coordinate efficiently with olefins may enhance this reaction in the intramolecular competition with O/H insertion. 

Reaction of propargylic alcohols 229 with alkyl diazoacetates entails competition between O/H insertion and cyclopropenation. 

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 catalytic activity of rhodium diacetate compounds in the decomposition of diazo compounds was discovered by Teyssie in 1973 [12] for a reaction of ethyl diazoacetate with water, alcohols, and weak acids to give the carbene inserted alcohol, ether, or ester product. This was soon followed by cyclopropanation. Rhodium(II) acetates form stable dimeric complexes containing four bridging carboxylates and a rhodium-rhodium bond (Figure 17.8). 

C. Crotyl diazoacetate. A solution of 10.0 g. (0.038 mole) of the />-toluenesulfonylhydrazone of glyoxylic acid chloride in 100 ml. of methylene chloride is cooled in an ice bath. Crotyl alcohol (2.80 g. or 0.038 mole) (Note 7) is added to this cold solution, and then a solution of 7.80 g. (0.077 mole) of redistilled triethyl-amine (b.p. 88.5-90.5°) in 25 ml. of methylene chloride is added to the cold reaction mixture dropwise and with stirring over a 20-minute period. During the addition a yellow color develops in the reaction mixture and some solid separates near the end of the addition period. The resulting mixture is stirred at 0° for 1 hour and then the solvent is removed at 25° under reduced pressure with a rotary evaporator. A solution of the residual dark orange liquid in approximately 200 ml. of benzene is thoroughly mixed with 100 g. of Florisil (Note 8) and then filtered. The residual Florisil, which has adsorbed the bulk of the dark colored by-products, is washed with two or three additional portions of benzene of such size that the total volume of the combined benzene filtrates is 400-500 ml. This yellow benzene solution of the diazoester is concentrated under reduced pressure at 25° with a rotary evaporator, and the residual yellow liquid is distilled under reduced pressure. (Caution This distillation should be conducted in a hood behind a safety shield) (Note 9). The diazo ester is collected as 2.20-2.94 g. (42-55%) of yellow liquid, b.p. 30-33° (0.15 mm.), n T) 1.4853 - 1.4856 (Note 10). 

Although the present procedure illustrates the formation of the diazoacetic ester without isolation of the intermediate ester of glyoxylic acid />-toluenesulfonylhydrazone, the two geometric isomers of this hydrazone can be isolated if only one molar equivalent of triethylamine is used in the reaction of the acid chloride with the alcohol. The extremely mild conditions required for the further conversion of these hydrazones to the diazo esters should be noted. Other methods for decomposing arylsulfonyl-hydrazones to form diazocarbonyl compounds have included aqueous sodium hydroxide, sodium hydride in dimethoxyethane at 60°, and aluminum oxide in methylene chloride or ethyl acetate." Although the latter method competes in mildness and convenience with the procedure described here, it was found not to be applicable to the preparation of aliphatic diazoesters such as ethyl 2-diazopropionate. Hence the conditions used in the present procedure may offer a useful complement to the last-mentioned method when the appropriate arylsulfonylhydrazone is available. 

Asymmetric hydroboration.1 The key step in a synthesis of natural (+ )-hir-sutic add-C (1), based on an earlier synthesis of racemic 1, is an efficient asymmetric hydroboration of the meso-alkene 2. Reaction of 2 with (+ )-diisopinocampheyl-borane (90% ee) followed by oxidation provides the exo-alcohol 3 in 73% yield and in 92% optical purity. Ring expansion of the corresponding ketone with ethyl diazoacetate is not regioselective even in the presence of BF3 etherate or (C2H5)30+ BF4, but does afford the desired a-keto ester in the presence of SbCl5 (8, 500-501). Decarboxylation of the crude product gives (— )-4 in 90% ee after chromatography. 

Scheme 8.6 Umpolung of allyl acetate for the formation of homoallylic alcohols and reaction of aldehydes with ethyl diazoacetate.

A three-component reaction of aryl diazoacetates, alcohols, and araldehydes (or araldimines) has been investigated, using a rhodium(II) catalyst.283 The first two components combine in the presence of catalyst to produce a zwitterion (72a). Evidence for equilibration with an alcoholic oxonium ylide intermediate (72b) is presented. It is proposed that this species is trapped by electron-deficient araldehyde (or imine) to give new C-C bond formation. 

Highly efficient catalytic asymmetric cyclopropanation can be effected with copper catalysts complexed with ligands of type 2.3 These bis(oxazolines) are prepared by reaction of dimethylmalonyl dichloride with an a-amino alcohol. As in the case of ligands of type 1, particularly high stereoselectivity obtains when R is /-butyl. Cyclopropanation of styrene with ethyl diazoacetate catalyzed by copper complexed with... 

Two further arguments have been advanced against nucleophilic attack by water, either for diazoacetic ester itself or in related reactions. The first of these is based on measurements of rate variations in alcohol-water mixtures (Eranke, 1964). However, the interpretation of such results is fraught with difficulties (Arnett el al., 1965) and it seems fair to say that the most that may be concluded is that nucleophilic participation is weak. The second argument concerns the entropy of activation. It... 

---