Reaktion Acceptor-substituierter Doppelbindungen mit dem Dichlorcarben-Reagenz nach Makosza

Concurrent Cyclopropanation by Carbenes and Carbanions? A Density Functional Theory Study on the Reaction Pathways

The mechanisms for the addition reactions of phenylhalocarbenes and phenyldihalomethide carbanions with acrylonitrile (ACN) and trimethylethylene (TME) have been investigated using an ab initio BH and HLYP/6-31G (d, p) level of theory. Solvent effects on these reactions have been explored by calculations that included a polarizable continuum model (PCM) for the solvent (THF). These model calculations show that for the addition of phenylhalocarbenes, a TME species may readily undergo addition reactions with carbenes while ACN has a high-energy barrier to overcome. It was also found that phenyldihalomethide carbanions do not readily add to the electron-rich TME. The cyclopropane yields only appear to occur via addition of PhCBr to TME. However, the cyclopropanation proceeds not only via slow addition of phenylhalocarbenes to ACN but also forms through the stepwise reaction of phenyldihalomethide carbanions with ACN. Our calculation results are in good agreement with experimental observations (Moss, R.A.; Tian, J.-Z. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 8960) that indicate that the cyclopropanation of phenylhalocarbenes and phenyldihalomethide carbanions with ACN are concurrent in THF.

Concurrent cyclopropanation by carbenes and carbanions

The generation of phenylhalocarbenes in the presence of varying quantities of halide ions and electron-poor alkenes affords concurrent cyclopropanation of the alkenes by an equilibrating mixture of phenylhalocarbenes and phenylhalomethide carbanions, which permits the smooth modulation of selectivity between electron-poor alkenes and electron-rich alkenes, a feature of potential synthetic utility.

Addition of Cl2C: to (−)-O-Menthyl Acrylate under Sonication−Phase-Transfer Catalysis. Efficient Synthesis of (+)- and (−)-(2-Chlorocyclopropyl)methanol

[reaction: see text] Dichlorocyclopropanation of (-)-O-menthyl acrylate under conditions of phase-transfer catalysis (CHCl3, KOH, tetramethylammonium bromide), with sonication, gives excellent yields (85-94%) of the corresponding dichlorocyclopropanecarboxylate ester compared to thermal conditions (90 degrees C, 56%). No diastereoselectivity was observed, but one isomer was isolated pure by fractional crystallization. The measured kinetic isotope effect (initial rate (CHCl3)/rate (CDCl3) approximately 1.7) suggests deprotonation of CHCl3 as the rate-limiting step.