Homologation diazo compounds

The use of copper as a catalyst in carbenoid transfer has its roots in the Amdt-Eistert reaction, Eq. 1 (3). Although the original 1935 paper describes the Wolff rearrangement of a-diazo ketones to homologous carboxylic acids using silver, the authors mention that copper may be substituted in this reaction. In 1952, Yates (4) demonstrated that copper bronze induces insertion of diazo compounds into the X-H bond of alcohols, amines, and phenols without rearrangement, Eq. 2. Yates proposal of a distinct metal carbenoid intermediate formed the basis of the currently accepted mechanistic construct for the cyclopropanation reaction using diazo compounds. 

Reaction of carbonyl compounds with aliphatic diazo compounds to deliver homologated ketones. 

This general procedure is effective for the preparation of many types of phenylhydrazones. For example, a substituted diazo compound can be employed.2 Alkylated acetoacetic esters 8 and ethyl benzoylacetate 4 may be used. For the higher homologs, the a-formyl derivatives of ketones may be used in place of ethyl acetoacetate.6 6 Ethyl pyridylacetates may also be substituted for ethyl acetoacetate.7 The products in these cases are the phenylhydrazones of 2-acylpyridines. 

Other alkyl diazo compounds can be prepared readily by the same general method with some alterations because of the lower volatility of the higher homologs.2... 

The first step was development of a catalytic epoxidation cycle using stoichiometric amounts of achiral sulfides and rhodium acetate [212-214]. The nucleophilicity of the sulfide plays a key role. In addition, the absence of sulfides led to the formation of stilbenes, and homologated products were formed in the absence of rhodium acetate [214]. This emphasizes that the sulfide and the rhodium catalyst were required for the operation of the catalytic cycle shown in Scheme 6.87B [214], It was also found that the reaction proceeded to completion with catalytic amounts of the sulfide. A prerequisite is slow addition of the diazo compound over a longer period of time, e.g. 24 h, to avoid the assumed dimerization of the diazo compound as a competing reaction under those conditions [214, 215]. 

Acid proteases are inactivated by active-site specific reagents, diazoacetylnorleucine ethyl ester and other diazo compounds, and epoxy (p-nitrophenoxy)propane. Covalently labelled aspartic acid peptides have been isolated from pepsin, chymosin (= rennin), and penicillopepsin. The peptides labelled with the diazo compounds have similar sequences and differ from the epoxy (p-nitrophenoxy)pro-pane labelled peptides. These results indicate two aspartic acids at the active site and suggest homology between the enzymes. The latter is confirmed by a comparison of the sequence data. Studies of the action of porcine pepsin and penicillopepsin on some dipeptides with free N-terminal groups show transpeptidation involving a covalent acyl intermediate. It is proposed that there are differences in the mechanism of action of pepsin which are determined by the nature of the substrate. 

Diazo compounds react with aldehydes and ketones to give homologated carbonyl compounds and epoxides. Lewis acids accelerate these processes, and in some cases direct the reactions to single products. frara-Epoxides result from aldehydes and ethyldiazoacetates in the presence of MeReOs (although this can occur via a metal carbene pathway rather than a Lewis acid mechanism) [139], whereas... 

An epoxidation reaction utilizing a complex diazo compound is shown in equation (30)." The addition of diazomethane to highly electron-deficient esters has been reported to yield 2-alkoxy-2-substituted epoxides (equation 31)." The stereoselectivity of the addition of diazomethane to pentulose derivative (20) was shown to be superior to that obtained using sulfur ylides, giving ratios of 95 5 in favor of (21 equation 8). However, the yields were unstated, and the products were accompanied in most cases by significant amounts of homologous ketone. ... 

This homologation reaction most likely proceeds via nucleophilic addition of the diazo compound to the Lewis acid complexed carbonyl, followed by 1,2-alkyl migration with concomitant loss of N2. Application of this reaction to an aldehyde (168) gives, via 1,2-hydride shift, the corresponding P-keto ester (169 equation 70). ... 

The alkyl groups in boranes can migrate to C, too. For example, addition of the carbenoid equivalent LiCHCl2, obtained by deprotonation of CH2CI2 with LDA at low temperatures, to an alkylboronate gives the one-carbon homologous product. Other carbenoid equivalents such as diazo compounds and CO can undergo similar reactions. 

Amino acids have been prepared by the homologation of a-amino acids, but the method tends to be low yielding as well as being a relatively long sequence (Scheme 9.39)," or diazo compounds and a Wolff rearrangement have to be employed," "" and these are not amenable to large-scale application. ... 

Homologization of ketones with diazo compounds from oc Diketones... 

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