title: Studies on the titanium-catalyzed cyclopropanation of nitriles.
abstract: The Ti-mediated reaction of Grignard reagents with nitriles was investigated with sub-stoichiometric amounts of titanium isopropoxide. Cyanoesters were converted to spirocyclopropanelactams in good yields using as low as 0.05 eq of Ti(O(i)Pr)4. Under similar conditions, cyanocarbonates led to spirocyclopropane oxazolidinones and/or aminocyclopropylcarbinols. A very short synthesis of the naturally occurring aminocyclopropanecarboxylic acid illustrates the usefulness of this methodology.
authors.affiliation: UMR 6519--Réactions Sélectives et Applications, CNRS-Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, BP 1039, 51687 REIMS Cedex 2, France.
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Laroche
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Harakat
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bertus
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Szymoniak