Reactivity of electrophilic cyclopropanes

Cyclopropanes that carry an electron-accepting group react as electrophiles in polar, ring-opening reactions. Analogous reactions at cyclopropanes with additional C2 substituents allow one to access difunctionalized products. Consequently, functionalized cyclopropanes are frequently used building blocks in organic synthesis. The polarization of the C1-C2 bond in 1-acceptor-2-donor-substituted cyclopropanes not only favorably enhances reactivity toward nucleophiles but also directs the nucleophilic attack toward the already substituted C2 position. Monitoring the kinetics of non-catalytic ring-opening reactions with a series of thiophenolates and other strong nucleophiles, such as azide ions, in DMSO provided the inherent S_N2 reactivity of electrophilic cyclopropanes. The experimentally determined second-order rate constants k ₂ for cyclopropane ring-opening reactions were then compared to those of related Michael additions. Interestingly, cyclopropanes with aryl substituents at the C2 position reacted faster than their unsubstituted analogues. Variation of the electronic properties of the aryl groups at C2 gave rise to parabolic Hammett relationships.