The Cloke-Wilson rearrangement of aroyl-substituted donor-acceptor cylopropanes containing arylethyl donors.

The chemistry of donor-acceptor (D-A) cyclopropanes containing alkyl donors has been scantily investigated. In the present work, we have synthesized new D-A cyclopropanes containing arylethyl donors and explored their reactivity in the presence of Lewis acids. Upon treatment with SnCl 4 , these cyclopropanes underwent the Cloke-Wilson rearrangement to yield 3,4,5-trisubstituted γ-butyrolactones in good yields with high diastereoselectivity.