S. Negretti et al. / Tetrahedron xxx (2015) 1e6
3
bromo substituted styrenes afforded the cyclopropanes 3d and 3f
in good yields and similar enantioselectivity (88% ee and 86% ee,
respectively, entries 4 and 7). Good yields and moderately high
levels of enantioselectivity were observed in all cases (81e88% ee).
The asymmetric induction could be further improved by lowering
the reaction temperature to ꢀ40 ꢁC. In nearly all cases, the products
were formed with >90% ee. The absolute configuration of the
products was assigned based on the previously proposed model.21
For confirmation, 3a was hydrolyzed to the acid, and converted the
corresponding methyl ester, whose absolute configuration is re-
ported in the literature (see Supplementary data).22
The reaction was then applied to the enhanced synthesis of the
Rh2(S-BTPCP)4 ligand. The cyclopropanation of 2g with 1b afforded
cyclopropane 4 in 73% yield and 88% ee (Scheme 1, Eq. 1). The TMSE
ester was then cleaved under mild conditions using tetrabuty-
lammonium fluoride (TBAF) in DMF to yield the ligand 5 in 81%
complete racemization of the chiral center (Scheme 1, Eq. 2). Syn-
thesis of ligand 8 in an enantiomerically enriched form was suc-
cessfully achieved employing TMSE diazo compound 9 together
with Rh2(S-PTTL)4 as the chiral catalyst in the cyclopropanation to
form 10 in 91% ee, which was with TBAF (Scheme 1, Eq. 3) to give 8
without loss of enantioenrichment.
Next, we explored the use of TCE aryldiazoacetates in cyclo-
propanation reactions. A catalyst screen was performed to find the
optimal conditions for this transformation (Table 3). Rh2(S-DOSP)4
afforded the desired cyclopropane 12a in good yield and moder-
ately high enantioselectivity, 88% yield and ꢀ83% ee, while the yield
and enantioinduction decreased with Rh2(S-PTAD)4 to 64% yield
and 62% ee (entries 1e2). The use of dirhodium(II) triar-
ylcyclopropanecarboxylate catalysts greatly enantioselectivity of
the reaction (entries 3e9). In pentane, Rh2(S-BTPCP)4 and Rh2(R-
BPCP)4 provided 12a in ꢀ90% ee and 70% ee, respectively. The po-
larity of the solvent had substantial effects on the enantioselectivity
with these catalysts, particularly with Rh2(R-BPCP)4, which in DCM
resulted in the formation of 12a n 69% yield and 96% ee (entry 5).
Similar results were observed with DCE as solvent, but the enan-
tioselectivities were slightly lower than in DCM (entries 7e9). The
absolute configuration of the product was assigned by hydrolysis of
the TCE ester and subsequent conversion into the corresponding
methyl ester, which is known in the literature.28
The scope of the reaction was examined using the optimized
conditions of 0.5 mol % of Rh2(R-BPCP)4 in DCM at room temper-
ature and the results are summarized in Table 4. In the Rh2(R-
BPCP)4 catalyzed cyclopropanation of styrene with TCE diazo-
acetates, both electron-donating groups and electron-withdrawing
groups were tolerated (Table 4). The t-butyl-substituted cyclopro-
pane 12b was obtained in good yields and excellent enantiose-
lectivity (74% yield, 98% ee), whereas the electron-withdrawing 4-
fluoro TCE diazoacetate yielded the desired cyclopropane 12c in
58% yield and 93% ee (entries 1e2). Additionally, heterocycles such
as pyridines and isoxazoles are tolerated as the aryl group of the
TCE diazoacetates. Cyclopropanes 12d and 12e were obtained in
moderate yields, 61% and 63% respectively, and excellent levels of
enantioselectivity, 93% ee and 85% ee respectively (entries 3e4).
TCE styryldiazoacetate was also well tolerated and cyclopropane
12f was formed with high yield and enantioinduction (90% yield
and 93% ee, entry 5), whereas with the TMSE stryldiazoacetate 1c
the highest level of enantioselectivity observed was 87% ee. Upon
modification of the styrene unit, cyclopropane 12h, the TCE pre-
cursor for the Rh2(R-BTPCP)4 ligand, was obtained in good yields
and moderately high enantioselectivity (77%, 86% ee, entry 6). The
electronics of the styrene had little effect on the enantioselectivity
of the reaction, as both cyclopropanes 12i and 12j, with 4-methoxy
Scheme 1. Synthesis of triarylcyclopropane carboxylate ligands through TMSE ar-
yldiazoacetate cyclopropanation. (a) Rh2(S-DOSP)4, pentane rt (b) TBAF, DMF, 81%, 88%
ee (c) Rh2(S-DOSP)4, pentane, PhCF3, 82%, 96% ee (d) KOtBu, DMSO (e) Rh2(S-PTTL)4,
pentanes, PhCF3, e78 ꢁC, 87%, 91% ee (f) TBAF, DMF, 77%, 91% ee.
yield. Most importantly the enantioselectivity remained un-
changed after the hydrolysis. Additionally, this material was
recrystallized from pentane/diethyl ether and enriched to high
optical purity (>99.5% ee). An excellent example of the utility of the
TMSE esters can be seen from the synthesis of 8 (Scheme 1, Eqs. 2
and 3). Though cyclopropanation of methyl 2-diazo-2-(4-
nitrophenyl)acetate 6 and 2g afforded cyclopropane 7 in 82%
yield and 96% ee, the vigorous hydrolysis conditions resulted in
Table 3
Chiral dirhodium (II)-catalyzed cyclopropanation of TCE 4-bromophenyldiazoacetate and styrene
Entry
Catalyst
Catalyst loading (mol %)
Solvent
Temp (ꢁC)
Yield (%)
ee (%)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Rh2(S-DOSP)4
Rh2(S-PTAD)4
Rh2(S-BTPCP)4
Rh2(R-BPCP)4
Rh2(R-BPCP)4
Rh2(S-BTPCP)4
Rh2(R-BPCP)4
Rh2(S-BTPCP)4
Rh2(R-BPCP)4
1.0
1.0
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
pentane
pentane
pentane
pentane
DCM
DCM
DCE
DCE
DCE
rt
rt
rt
rt
rt
rt
rt
rt
0
88
64
81
80
69
73
71
68
70
ꢀ83
62
ꢀ90
70
96
ꢀ95
92
ꢀ90
95