Unactivated cyclopropanes

While simple unactivated cyclopropanes have yet to be used for [3 + 2] cycloaddition, Tsuji and coworkers have developed a palladium-catalyzed cycloaddition reaction using electron-deficient vinylcy-clopropanes. Thus, vinylcyclopropane (43) undergoes smooth cyclization with methyl acrylate in the presence of a palladium catalyst to give vinylcyclopentane (44) as a mixture of diasteroisomers (equation 35). The cycloaddition probably proceeds through the zwitterionic ( ir-allyl)palladium intermediate (45) and its stepwise reaction with the acrylate (equation 36). Enones such as cyclopentenone and methyl vinyl ketone will also react. Reaction of the same vinylcyclopropane with phenyl isocyanate produces vi-nyllactam (46) (equation 37).Some cycloaddition reactions with (cyclopropyl)Fp complexes have also been reported. However, the substrates are limited to SO2 and TCNE and the yields have not been disclosed (equation 38). ... 

However, direct metalation of unactivated cyclopropanes is not practical. Phenyl- and (l-alkynyl)cyclopropanes have been metalated at the 1-position with BuLi/t-BuOK and BuLi, respectively. Cyclopropylmethanols undergo preferential syn-lithiation with i-PrLi as shown in equation 121. In the reaction of bridged compounds carrying a... 

Unactivated cyclopropanes can be cleaved by strongly electrophilic reagents like the proton, halogens or certain metal ions, unfortunately often with low regioselectivity only. So far, only mercury(Il)-induced openings have been of synthetic value. They incorporate suitable nucleophiles and reduction of the products can form radicals capable of additions to electrophilic olefins (equation 14) . ... 

External quenching during protonolysis of unactivated cyclopropanes is rare, since the strong acids necessary to protonate these substrates are very poor nucleophiles. Generally proton elimination from the intermediate propyl cation strongly predominates. 

Negishi E, Tan Z (2005) Diastereoselective, Enantioselective, and Regioselective Carbo-alumination Reactions Catalyzed by Zirconocene Derivatives. 8 139-176 Netherton M, Fu GC (2005)Pa]ladium-catalyzed Cross-Coupling Reactions of Unactivated Alkyl Electrophiles with Organometallic Compounds. 14 85-108 Nicolaou KC, King NP, He Y (1998) Ring-Closing Metathesis in the Synthesis of EpothUones and Polyether Natmal Products. 1 73-104 Nishiyama H (2004) Cyclopropanation with Ruthenium Catalysts. 11 81-92 Noels A, Demonceau A, Delaude L (2004) Ruthenium Promoted Catalysed Radical Processes toward Fine Chemistry. 11 155-171... 

The limitation to electron-rich alkenes in Rh(II)-catalyzed cyclopropanation with phenyldiazomethane leaves untouched the great versatility of zinc halides for this purpose with this, catalyst, efficient and very mild cyclopropanation of 1,3-dienes and unactivated alkenes has been reported 46). 

Whereas metal-catalyzed decomposition of simple diazoketones in the presence of ketene acetals yields dihydrofurans 121,124,134), cyclopropanes usually result from reaction with enol ethers, enol acetates and silyl enol ethers, just as with unactivated alkenes 13). l-Acyl-2-alkoxycyclopropanes were thus obtained by copper-catalyzed reactions between diazoacetone and enol ethers 79 105,135), enol acetates 79,135 and... 

Some diazoalkanes cyclopropanate olefins in the absence of any catalyst [658-660]. Thus, for instance, upon generation from A -cyclopropyl-A -nitrosourea at 0 °C diazocyclopropane spontaneously cyclopropanates methylenecyclopropanes [658]. Thermal, uncatalyzed cyclopropanations of unactivated olefines with aryldiazome-thanes can already occur at only slightly elevated temperatures (e.g. at 80 °C with 1-naphthyldiazomethane [661]). Henee, for enantioselective cyclopropanations with a chiral catalyst, low reaction temperatures should be chosen to minimize product formation via the uncatalyzed pathway. 

Indeed, in a study of reaction rate and efficiency as a function of geminal substitution of the VCP, it was found that heteroatom substitution was not required to activate the VCP for intermolecular [5+2] cydoaddition (Tab. 13.14) [51]. Substitution for -H at the 1-position of the cyclopropane with -Me, -TMS, or - Pr led to an acceleration of the reaction that correlated with size of the substituent. Significantly, good to excellent yields and high, if not complete, regioselectivities are observed with a variety of mono-substituted alkynes and simple, unactivated VCPs. 

The biosynthesis of the cyclopropane ring in natural products can occur through transfer of a methylene group from an ylide derived from S-adenosyl methionine to an unactivated olefin such as an oleic ester [468] via a copper(i) carbcne complex [469]. 

In practice, donor substituents make it possible actually to isolate a range of carbenes 4.105. With somewhat less stabilisation, the carbene 4.106, although it is only found as a reactive intermediate, is exceptionally easy to form. It is the key intermediate in all the metabolic steps catalysed by thiamine coenzymes, and its reactions are characterised by its nucleophilicity. Similarly, dimethoxycarbene 4.107 reacts as a nucleophile with electrophiles like dimethyl maleate to give the intermediate 4.108, and hence the cyclopropane 4.109, but it does not insert into unactivated alkenes. 

Diastereoselective and enantioselective (see Enantio-selectivity) cyclopropanations of chiral alkenes can be achieved (Scheme 57). Unactivated alkenes usually do not participate in cyclopropanation reactions of Fischer carbenes. However, alkenyl- and heteroaryl-substituted group 6 alkoxy carbene complexes cyclopropanate unactivated alkenes in good yield (Scheme 58). ... 

Unactivated alkenes can be cyclopropanated if more electrophilic carbene complexes are employed or if the cyclopropanation is carried out in an intramolecular fashion. As an example of the former approach, Casey prepared the highly reactive benzylidene complex (164) in situ and found that it will efficiently cyclopropanate most unactivated alkenes. This is illustrated in Scheme 25 by its reaction with 1-methylcyclopentene. It has since been found that the complex (164) could be isolated and can be... 

The [3-1-2] methylenecyclopentane annulation of [(trimethylsilyl)methylene]-cyclopropane dicarboxylates with unactivated and electron-rich alkenes (vinyl ether, vinyl thioether, or vinyl silyl ether) are efficiently photocatalyzed by butyl disulfide or bis(tributyltin) [78]. 

Either photolysis or flash-vacuum pyrolysis of a y-sultine B may result in the elimination of sulfur dioxide and the formation of the corresponding cyclopropane. As in the case of y-lactones, the reaction is promoted by substituents on the y-carbon atom that promote the initial C-0 bond homolysis and reactions are rarely successful in unactivated systems. ... 

Under the right experimental conditions it is possible to form a C-C bond to a cyclopropane ring by cleaving an almost unactivated cyclopropyl C-H bond. 

Palladium-based catalysts also bring about cyclopropanations in high-yield. With palladium acetate/CHjNj, styrene , unactivated terminal olefins strained olefins , 1,3-dienesan enamine , as well as a,3-unsaturated carbonyl compounds have been cyclopropanated (Table 1). Contrary to an earlier report, the reaction also works well with cyclohexene if the conditions are chosen appropriately it seems that the notniyst is rapidly deactivated in the presence of this olefin >. Trisubstituted a,p-unsaturated carbonyl compounds were found to be unreactive, and the same is true for the double bonds in diethyl fumarate, maleic anhydride, coumarin and 1,3-dimethyluracil. Whereas the latter two were totally unreactive, [3-1-2] cycloaddition of diazomethane gave pyrazolines in the former two cases. The last entry of Table 1 shows that an allyl alcohol function can still be cyclopropanated, but methylene insertion into the O—H bond is a competing process. 

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