Site-Selective Rhodium(II) Acetate Mediated Intramolecular Metal-Carbene Insertions into C-H Bonds of Bicycloheptanes: Efficient Syntheses of (+)-Albene and (-)-β-Santalene

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/jo00004a019

Treatment of α-diazo ketones 1a-d and 2a-d with catalytic amounts of rhodium(II) acetate led to selective carbene insertions into C-H bonds resulting in cyclopentane-annulated products in high yields.The highly selective insertion realized into the exo-methyl C-H bond of 1a has been utilized in the syntheses of (+)-albene (8) and (-)-β-santalene (11).