Fe-Catalyzed Selective Cyclopropanation of Enynes under Photochemical or Thermal Conditions.

The nucleophilic Fe-complex Bu4N[Fe(CO)3(NO)] (TBA[Fe]) catalyzes the cyclopropanation of enynes to substituted propargyl cyclopropanes using diazoesters as carbene surrogates. The catalyst can be activated either thermally in the presence of catalytic amounts of 4-nitroanisole or under photochemical conditions. Cyclopropanation occurs selectively at the enyne moiety; alternative olefinic moieties remain intact.