Simmons-Smith procedure with diethylzinc

The Simmons-Smith reaction has been used as the basis of a method for the indirect a methylation of a ketone. The ketone (illustrated for cyclohexanone) is first converted to an enol ether, an enamine (16-12) or silyl enol ether (12-22) and cyclopropanation via the Simmons-Smith reaction is followed by hydrolysis to give a methylated ketone. A related procedure using diethylzinc and diiodomethane allows ketones to be chain extended by one carbon. In another variation, phenols can be ortho methylated in one laboratory step, by treatment with Et2Zn and... 

The cyclopropanation of 1-trimethylsilyloxycyclohexene in the present procedure is accomplished by reaction with diiodomethane and diethylzinc in ethyl ether." This modification of the usual Simmons-Smith reaction in which diiodomethane and activated zinc are used has the advantage of being homogeneous and is often more effective for the cyclopropanation of olefins such as enol ethers which polymerize readily. However, in the case of trimethylsilyl enol ethers, the heterogeneous procedures with either zinc-copper couple or zinc-silver couple are also successful. Attempts by the checkers to carry out Part B in benzene or toluene at reflux instead of ethyl ether afforded the trimethylsilyl ether of 2-methylenecyclohexanol, evidently owing to zinc iodide-catalyzed isomerization of the initially formed cyclopropyl ether. The preparation of l-trimethylsilyloxybicyclo[4.1.0]heptane by cyclopropanation with diethylzinc and chloroiodomethane in the presence of oxygen has been reported. "... 

Several procedures deal with optically active auxiliaries employed in stoichiometric amounts or more, but which are not covalently bonded to one of the reagents. These catalysts influence Simmons-Smith type cyclopropanations of allylic alcohols with moderate to excellent enantiose-lectivities. Whereas the reaction of ( )-3-phenyl-2-propen-l-ol (1) with diethylzinc and diiodo-methane in the presence of (17 ,25 )-A,-methylephedrine (2 equivalents) gives an enantiomeric excess of only 24% under optimized conditions107, the same reaction with (/ ,/f)-diethyl tartrate (1.1 equivalents) as ligand affords (1 ) ,27t)-fra i-l-hydroxymethyl-2-phenylcyclopropane (2) with up to 79% ee108, Similar results are achieved with the corresponding (Z)-olefin, and even higher enantioselectivities are obtained for dimethylphenylsilyl-substituted allylic alcohols such as 3109. 

Ring expansion induced by FeCla has been used in a new synthesis of dl-muscone in 237> overall yield from dimethyl tetradecanedioate, which was converted into (6) by the procedure of Ruhimann (4, 537). In this case cyclo-propanation with methylene iodide and diethylzinc (4, 153) proved superior to the Simmons-Smith reagent. ... 

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