Styrene cyclopropanation, rhodium-carbene

Iodorhodium(III)mesotetraphenylporphyrin complex 3 was the first reported mononuclear catalyst for cyclopropanation (28). With EDA, this catalyst gave cw-cyclopropane as the dominant product in the cyclopropanation of styrene and bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-2-ene, although catalytic activity as shown by yields of the cyclopropanes and dimerization products was only modest. The oxidation state of the catalytic active form was proposed to be Rh(II). In another study, a perpendicular approach of alkene it system to rhodium-carbene has been proposed to explain the cis-selective cyclopropanation (29). 

As for other catalysts, chiral Rh(III) porphyrin catalysts 23a were also foiuid to catalyze asymmetric cyclopropanation of alkenes with EDA (84). Although moderate enantiocontrol (<60% ee) was observed, the reaction was cis-selective tic = 1 2.5) with >1800 turnover number. Other newly developed Rh(III) porphyrin catalysts 23b gave slightly improved enantioselectivity (68% ee) with moderate diastereoselectivity (85). Similar to their achiral covmterparts, a perpendicular approach of alkene to rhodium-carbene was proposed as a mechanism. Apart from porphyrins, phosphine catalysts also gave interesting results. Catalyst 24, which contains backbone chirality, catalyzed the cyclopropanation of styrene with EDA to give 91% ee for the cis-isomer and 90 10 of the cis trans ratio (86). 

Several iodonium ylides, thermally or photochemically, transferred their carbene moiety to alkenes which were converted into cyclopropane derivatives. The thermal decomposition of ylides was usually catalysed by copper or rhodium salts and was most efficient in intramolecular cyclopropanation. Reactions of PhI=C(C02Me)2 with styrenes, allylbenzene and phenylacetylene have established the intermediacy of carbenes in the presence of a chiral catalyst, intramolecular cyclopropanation resulted in the preparation of a product in 67% enantiomeric excess [12]. 

The ligand was then used to form a variety of transition metal carbene complexes [207] (see Figure 3.72). Interestingly, more than one method for the formation of transition metal carbene complexes was successfully employed presence of an inorganic base (IC COj) to deprotonate the imidazolium salt and the silver(I) oxide method with subsequent carbene transfer to rhodium(I), iridium(I) and copperfi), respectively. The silver(I) and copper(I) carbene complexes were used for the cyclopropanation of styrene and indene with 1,1-ethanediol diacetate (EDA) giving very poor conversion with silver (< 5%) and qnantitative yields with copper. The diastereomeric ratio (endolexo) was more favonrable with silver than with copper giving almost a pnre diastereomer for the silver catalysed reaction of indene. 

The catalytic activity of low-valent ruthenium species in carbene-transfer reactions is only beginning to emerge. The ruthenium(O) cluster RujCCO), catalyzed formation of ethyl 2-butyloxycyclopropane-l-carboxylate from ethyl diazoacetate and butyl vinyl ether (65 °C, excess of alkene, 0.5 mol% of catalyst yield 65%), but seems not to have been further utilized. The ruthenacarborane clusters 6 and 7 as well as the polymeric diacetatotetracarbonyl-diruthenium (8) have catalytic activity comparable to that of rhodium(II) carboxylates for the cyclopropanation of simple alkenes, cycloalkenes, 1,3-dienes, enol ethers, and styrene with diazoacetic esters. Catalyst 8 also proved exceptionally suitable for the cyclopropanation using a-diazo-a-trialkylsilylacetic esters. ... 

Photochemical decomposition of diazo(trimethylsilyl)methane (1) in the presence of alkenes has not been thoroughly investigated (see Houben-Weyl Vol. E19b, p 1415). The available experimental data [trimethylsilylcyclopropane (17% yield) and la,2a,3j8-2,3-dimethyl-l-trimethylsilylcyclopropane (23% yield)] indicate that cyclopropanation occurs only in low yield with ethene and ( )-but-2-ene. In both cases the formal carbene dimer is the main product. In reactions with other alkenes, such as 2,3-dimethylbut-2-ene, tetrafluoroethene or hexafluoro-propene, no cyclopropanes could be detected.The transition-metal-catalyzed decomposition of diazo(trimethylsilyl)methane (1) has been applied to the synthesis of many different silicon-substituted cyclopropanes (see Table 3 and Houben-Weyl Vol.E19b, p 1415) 3.20a,b,2i.25 ( iQp. per(I) chloride has been most commonly used for carbene transfer to ethyl-substituted alkenes, cycloalkenes, styrene, and related arylalkenes. For the cyclopropanation of acyl-substituted alkenes, palladium(II) chloride is the catalyst of choice, while palladium(II) acetate was less efficient, and copper(I) chloride, copper(II) sulfate and rhodium(II) acetate dimer were totally unproductive. The cyclopropanation of ( )-but-2-ene represents a unique... 

The direct transfer of carbene from diazocompounds to olefins catalyzed by transition metals is the most straightforward synthesis of cyclopropanes [3,4]. Reactions of diazoesters with olefins have been studied using complexes of several transition metals as catalysts. In most cases trans-isomers are preferably obtained, but the selectivity depends on the nature of the complex. In general the highest trans-selectivity is obtained with copper catalysts and it is reduced with palladium and rhodium complexes. Therefore, the rhodium mesotetraphenylporphyrin (RhTPPI) [5] and [(r 5-C5H5)Fe(CO)2(THF)]BF4 [6] are the only catalysts leading to a preference for the cis-isomer in the reaction of ethyl diazoacetate with styrene. 

Iodorhodium(IIl) porphyrins also efficiently catalyze the reaction of ethyl diazoacetate with simple alkenes. generally providing the cw-isomers as the major product77 79110. The cis( tram ratio increases when bulkier porphyrins, such as tetramesitylporphyrin (TMP), are employed. The mechanism of this rhodium-catalyzed cyclopropanation with diazoacetate is interpreted as proceeding via carbene complexes79 80 111,112. Based on these results, asymmetric cyclopropanation of alkenes with ethyl diazoacetate is achieved if catalyzed by a chiral wall porphyrin81. An earlier described binaphthyl-system of this type82113114, introduced as an iodorhodium(lll) complex, 6, forms an extremely active catalyst and leads to m-cyclopropanes (preferred over the rran.v-products) with moderate to poor enantioselectivities if styrene, 1- and 3-phenylpropene are used as substrates (10-60% ee)81. 

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