Nitrocyclopropanes structure

Spurred by these observations, we examined a relevant application of the method for nitrocyclopropane synthesis from nitroalkenes and dimethylsulfoxonium methylide (17), Equation 3. It had previously been employed for the synthesis of a 2,3-dideoxv-2,3-C-methylene-3-nitro-hexopyranoside, the first one of the small number of carhohvdrates containing the nitrocyclopropane structure thus far known (18). 

In all the above examples, the synthesis of nitronates (5) is rather chemose-lective. In any case, data on the formation of their structural isomers, viz, the corresponding nitrocyclopropanes (13), are lacking. However, the synthesis of five-membered nitronates (5) with the use of sulfur or selenium ylides is not chemoselective (see Scheme 3.16). 

In an analogous manner, nitroalkenes can be utilized as the electrophile in a tandem coupling-cyclization process (Eq. 2.18). Addition of a stabilized sulfonium ylide such as 209, to a variety of nitroalkenes provides an intermediate nitronic acid, which upon displacement of dimethyl sulfide provides a mixture of the corresponding nitrocyclopropane (XL) and cyclic nitronate (XLI). The ratio of products is highly dependent on the structure of the nitroalkene. For example, without a substituent on the a-position of the nitroalkene (R = H), only the... 

A variety of three-membered carbocycles including cyclopropylcarbonyl and -sulfonyl derivatives, cyclopropylcarbonitriles and -methanols, nitrocyclopropanes, cyclo-propanols and cyclopropylamines have been prepared via the 1,3-elimination of HX. Some representative cyclopropyl derivatives recently prepared by this method are shown in Scheme 116-18 and in equations 8-26. Conversion of chelated homoserine, 5,to chelated 2-amino-4-bromobutyrate and treatment with aqueous base directly affords chelated 1-aminocyclopropane-l-carboxylate (equation 8)19. The 1,3-elimination in 6 interestingly leads to the preferential formation of the cis isomer, from which 7, a key structural element of synthetic pyrethroid insecticides, is obtained (equation 9)20. A sulfur substituent can serve both as an activating group and as a leaving group in this type of reaction and, thus, 1,3-bis(phenylthio)propane affords cyclopropyl phenyl sulfide upon treatment with butyl-... 

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