Synthesis of nitrogen-substituted methylenecyclopropanes by strain-driven overman rearrangement of cyclopropenylmethyl trichloroacetimidates

Nitrogen-substituted methylenecyclopropanes have been prepared by a strain-driven Overman rearrangement of cyclopropenylmethyl trichloroacetimidates. The reaction proceeds at room temperature and without the need of a transition-metal catalyst. Furthermore, it has been shown that C-3-substituted cyclopropenylmethyl trichloroacetimidates undergo a hydrolytic ring-opening reaction to form allenylcarbinols.