Oxonium cyclopropanation

The synthesis of different substituted finans by cyclization of 4-pentynones using potassium tert-butoxide in DMF was reported <96TL3387>. Dihydrofuran 32 can be prepared by a destannylative acylation of l-[(2-methoxyethoxy)methoxy]-2-(phenylsulfonyl)-2-(tributylstannyl)-cyclopropane. Treatment of 32 with BFj-EtjO yields 3-acyUurans via an intramolecular Prins-type reaction of the resulting oxonium ion intermediate <96TL4585>. 

In addition to cyclopropane 145 and the expected [2,3] rearrangement product 143 of an intermediary oxonium ylide, a formal [1,2] rearrangement product 144 and small amounts of ethyl alkoxyacetate 146 are obtained in certain cases. Comparable results were obtained when starting with dimethyl diazomalonate. Rh2(CF3COO)4 displayed an efficiency similar to Rh2(OAc)4, whereas reduced yields did not recommend the use of Rh6(CO)16 and several copper catalysts. Raising the reaction temperature had a deleterious effect on total product yield, as had... 

The dominant role of the traditional copper catalysts, generally used under heterogeneous conditions, has not been challenged as yet. Only a few reports shed light on the efficiency of alternative catalysts. Copper(II) triflate allows high-yield intramolecular cyclopropanation of y,8-unsaturated diazoketone 182160) it is superior to CuS04 (53 % yield 192 ) or Rh2(OAc)4160). The solvent is crucial for an efficient conversion If the reaction is carried out in ether, the solvent competes with the double bond for the electrophilic metal carbene to give 184, presumably via an oxonium ylide intermediate. 

Intramolecular oxonium ylide formation is assumed to initialize the copper-catalyzed transformation of a, (3-epoxy diazomethyl ketones 341 to olefins 342 in the presence of an alcohol 333 . The reaction may be described as an intramolecular oxygen transfer from the epoxide ring to the carbenoid carbon atom, yielding a p,y-unsaturated a-ketoaldehyde which is then acetalized. A detailed reaction mechanism has been proposed. In some cases, the oxonium-ylide pathway gives rise to additional products when the reaction is catalyzed by copper powder. If, on the other hand, diazoketones of type 341 are heated in the presence of olefins (e.g. styrene, cyclohexene, cyclopen-tene, but not isopropenyl acetate or 2,3-dimethyl-2-butene) and palladium(II) acetate, intermolecular cyclopropanation rather than oxonium ylide derived chemistry takes place 334 ). 

The intramolecular addition of acylcarbene complexes to alkynes is a general method for the generation of electrophilic vinylcarbene complexes. These reactive intermediates can undergo inter- or intramolecular cyclopropanation reactions [1066 -1068], C-H bond insertions [1061,1068-1070], sulfonium and oxonium ylide formation [1071], carbonyl ylide formation [1067,1069,1071], carbene dimerization [1066], and other reactions characteristic of electrophilic carbene complexes. 

Treatment of 1,2-C-methylene carbohydrates, prepared by cyclopropanation of unsaturated sugars, with Lewis acids and trapping of the intermediate oxonium ion with a nucleophile is a convenient route to 2-substituted-2,3,6,7-tetrahydrooxepines <95TL683i>. Thus rearrangement of (55) with TMSOTf in acetonitrile in the presence of MeCN affords (56). The trapping nucleophile may be a substituent of the original carbohydrate, as demonstrated by the conversion of (57) into the bridged bicyclic oxepine (58). 

Quaternization. 2-Isoxazolines are also weak bases, but slightly higher than that of corresponding isoxazoles. Quaternization of 2-isoxazoline was easily accomplished by treatment with excess trimethyl (or triethyl)-oxonium tetrafluroborate in dichloromethane at room temperature <83LA906>. Several other conditions to accomplish quaternization of 2-isoxazolines are discussed <9lHC(49)l>. In some cases, quaternization is achieved not directly from 2-isoxazolines. For example the cyclopropane (140) with nitrosonium tetrafluroborate afforded a mixture of isoxazolium salts (141) and (142) (Equation (26)) <89CL457>. 

Alkylation, by oxonium salts, 51,144 intramolecular to form cyclopropanes, 52, 35 of acids, 50, 61 of lithium enolates, 52, 39 of malonitrile, 53, 24 with benzyl chloromethyl ether,... 

According to Olah s investigations the conversion of methyl alcohol over bifunctional acidic-basic catalyst after initial acid-catalyzed dehydration to dimethyl ether involves oxonium ion formation catalyzed also by the acid functionality of the catalyst. This is followed by basic site catalyzed deprotonation to a reactive surface-bound oxonium ylide, which is then immediately methylated by excess methyl alcohol or dimethyl ether leading to the crucial - 2 conversion step. The ethyl methyl oxonium ion formed subsequently eliminates ethylene. All other hydrocarbons are derived from ethylene by known oligomerization-fragmentation chemistry. Propylene is formed via a cyclopropane intermediate. The overall reaction sequence is depicted in Scheme 19. 

Protected and partially 0-protected glycals (but not 3,4,6-tri-0-/erf-butyldi-methylsilyl-D-glucal) can be readily cyclopropanated with diiodomethane-diethyl-zinc to afford intermediate 1,2-C-methylene derivatives. Treatment of these latter compounds with Lewis acids was expected to produce intermediate ring-expanded oxonium ions 24 which should be readily trapped witii a nucleophile to give oxepane derivatives. This proved to be the case when cyclopropane derivative 25 was treated with trimethylsilyl triflate in the presence of trimethyl-silyl cyanide as internal nucleophile to give oxepane 26. Cyclopropane derivative 27, under similar conditions but with allyltrimethylsilane as nucleophile, reacted intramolecularly to oxepane... 

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