Gold-catalyzed ethylene cyclopropanation

Abstract

Ethylene can be directly converted into ethyl 1-cyclopropylcarboxylate upon reaction with ethyl diazoacetate (N2CHCO2Et, EDA) in the presence of catalytic amounts of IPrAuCl/NaBArF4 (IPr = 1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazole-2-ylidene; BArF4 = tetrakis(3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)borate).

Keywords

• carbene transfer
• cyclopropane
• cyclopropylcarboxylate
• ethylene cyclopropanation
• ethyl diazoacetate
• gold catalysis