An efficient synthesis of cyclopropyl silyl ketones

The reaction of silylcyclopropyl bromides with dichloromethyl methyl ether in the presence of n-butyllithium is investigated. Under basic reaction conditions, the corresponding cyclopropylidene derivatives are exclusively obtained. The resulting cyclopropylidene compounds are subjected to protonolysis or trapping with electrophiles in a one-pot to give the cyclopropyl silyl ketone derivatives in good yields. Acidic treatment of derived cyclopropyl silyl ketone allows isomerization to give the thermodynamically favorable trans form exclusively.

Graphical abstractDownload full-size image