Quinone diazides for olefin functionalization

Abstract

The utility of quinone diazides in materials science is vast and well-documented, yet this potentially useful motif has languished in the annals of organic synthesis. Herein we show that modern tools of catalysis can be employed with free or suitably masked quinone diazides to unleash the power of these classic diazo compounds in the context of both inter- and intramolecular olefin cyclopropanation.

Keywords: olefin functionalization; quinone diazide; steroids; triazenes.