Simmons-Smith cyclopropanation asymmetric reactions

The landmark report by Winstein et al. (Scheme 3.6) on the powerful accelerating and directing effect of a proximal hydroxyl group would become one of the most critical in the development of the Simmons-Smith cyclopropanation reactions [11]. A clear syw directing effect is observed, implying coordination of the reagent to the alcohol before methylene transfer. This characteristic served as the basis of subsequent developments for stereocontrolled reactions with many classes of chiral allylic cycloalkenols and indirectly for chiral auxiliaries and catalysts. A full understanding of this phenomenon would not only be informative, but it would have practical applications in the rationalization of asymmetric catalytic reactions. 

The reaction was first carried out with the substrate bearing the chiral auxiliary. Scheme 5-64 shows the asymmetric cyclopropanation reaction using 2,4-pentandiol as a chiral auxiliary.115 Scheme 5-65 illustrates the use of optically pure 1,2-frafts-cyclohexanediol as a chiral auxiliary in asymmetric Simmons-Smith cyclopropanation.116 Excellent yield and diastereoselectivity are obtained in most cases. 

The examples mentioned above illustrate the progress in the field of stereocontrolled cyclopropanation. Nowadays, the asymmetric Simmons Smith cyclopropanation may well be mentioned in the line with other asymmetric reactions like epoxidation or dihydroxylation. Fligh enan-tioselectivity and diastereoselectivity can be... 

Asymmetric cyclopropanation of olefins can also be achieved by the Simmons-Smith reaction (231). Reaction of ( )-cinnamyl alcohol and the diiodomethane-diethylzinc mixed reagent in the presence of a small amount of a chiral sulfonamide gives the cyclopropylcarbinol in up to 75% ee (Scheme 97) (232a). ( )-Cinnamyl alcohol can be cyclopro-... 

An auxiliary-directed asymmetric Simmons-Smith reaction was used by a Hoff-mann-La Roche group88 for the synthesis of an ethynyl cyclopropane that served as the A-ring precursor to Vitamin D derivatives [Scheme 2.41]. High diastereoselectivity was achieved with the aid of the dioxolane ring prepared from (/ft/f)-(-)-butane-2,3-diol. The acid conditions for hydrolysis of the dioxolane ring were mild enough to leave the cyclopropane ring unperturbed. Dia-stereoselective cyclopropanation of acetals derived from 1,2-di-O-benzyl-L-threi-tol have also been reported 90... 

The first asymmetric Simmons-Smith reaction with a chiral Lewis acid catalyst was introduced in 1994 by Charette and Juteau and featured a chiral boron Lewis acid prepared from tartaric acid [32]. Although this process resulted in excellent enantioselec-tivity, it would not turnover, i.e. the yield was less than 10 %. In the same year Imai, Takahashi and Kobayashi introduced a chiral aluminum Lewis acid that would catalyze the cyclopropanation of allylic aleohols with significant turnover numbers but their system did not lead to asymmetric induction as high as that resulting from the dioxaborolane catalyst [33]. The catalyst is prepared from the bis-sulfonamide 132... 

An asymmetric Simmons-Smith reaction was reported by Kang et al. [18]. The reaction of (3-D-fructopyranoside 13 with a,(3-unsaturated aldehydes gave enrfo-acetals 14 along with exo-isomers 15 in a ratio of about 1.5 1. The enrfo-acetals afforded the best selectivity, typically giving (2/f,3/f)-hydroxymethyl cyclopropanes 17 with up to 85% ee. It should be noted that the corresponding exo-acetals 15 underwent the cyclopropanation reaction with lower stereoselectivity. In these cases, the group cannot effectively block either side of the alkene in contrast to the endo-isomer [18] (Scheme 10.3). 

Normally the chiral auxiliaries are introduced and removed in the asymmetric synthesis of Simmons-Smith reactions of allylic alcohols to provide mostly /rani-disubstituted cyclopropanes. Stereoselective syntheses of c -disubstituted cyclopropanes are difficult to achieve. Starting from (Z)-3-phenylprop-2-en-l-ol (80a) and (Z)-6-phenylhex-2-en-l-ol (80b), the corresponding c -disubstituted cyclopropanes 81a and 81b were prepared by first treating them with diethylzinc followed by diethyl (- -)-(/ ,7 )-tartrate (DET). A zinc-bridged intermediate is assumed to be formed first. This is subsequently treated with diethylzine and diiodomethane to give the products 81. The reaction conducted at — 12 "C gave the cyclopropanated products 81a and 81b with 70 and 81% ee, respectively.This method has the advantages that the introduction of the chiral auxiliary to the substrate and its removal are not neccessary and that both cis- and trans-disubstituted cyclopropanes could be prepared from (Z)- and ( )-allylic alcohols, repectively. 

Compund 78 is among the new transition metal catalysts that have found good use in the decomposition of diazo compounds and delivery of the metal carbenoids to alkenes." Iminodiazaphospholidine (79) possesses a stereogenic phosphorus center and its applicability to effect asymmetric cyclopropanation" is now known. The Zn chelate of 80 is effective for the Simmons-Smith reaction of allylic alcohols. ... 

Simmons-Smith reaction. Asymmetric methylene transfer to allyl glycosides containing a free hydroxyl group at C-2 arises from its directing effect. Both /3-l-glucopyranosides and their a-o- analogs have been exploited for the access of chiral cyclopropanes. 

The asymmetric synthesis of cyclopropanes has attracted continual efforts in organic synthesis, due to their relevance in natural products and biologically active compounds. The prevalent methods employed include halomethylmetal mediated processes in the presence of chiral auxiliaries/catalysts (Simmons-Smith-type reactions), transition-metal-catalyzed decomposition of diazoalkanes, Michael-induced ring closures, or asymmetric metalations [8-10,46], However, the asymmetric preparation of unfunctionahzed cyclopropanes remains relatively undisclosed. The enantioselective activation of unactivated C-H bonds via transition-metal catalysis is an area of active research in organic chemistry [47-49]. Recently, a few groups investigated the enantioselective synthesis of cyclopropanes by direct functionalization reactions. 

A number of chiral acetal derivatives have also proved effective in asymmetric cyclopropanation reactions, with auxiliaries based on tartaric acid proving to be partieularly usefiil. In the case of cyclic a,P unsaturated compounds, di-O-benylthreitol derivatives (see 51) imdergo efficient and diastereoselective Simmons-Smith reactions to give the cyclopropanated products SS. ... 

One year later, the first asymmetric cyclopropanation was realized by diastereofa-cial selective Simmons-Smith reaction to esters of tetramethyltartramide as diol instead of pinacol. Subsequent oxidation gave optically active 2-substituted cyclopropanols in 89-94% ee (Scheme 9.16) [36]. 

---