A novel chiral ruthenium porphyrin as highly efficient and selective catalyst for asymmetric cyclopropanations

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/S0040-4039(97)01763-2

The enantionmerically pure ruthenium carbonyl porphyrin 5 is an extremely active and selective catalyst for the asymmetric cyclopropanation of olefins with diazo compounds. At a catalyst lending of only 0.15 mol-%, quantitative yields, excellent diastereoselectivities (trans:cis 96:4) and high enantiomeric excesses (up to 91 %) of the product cyclopropanes were achieved in the reaction of styrene with ethyl diazoacetate.