Intramolecular Cyclopropanation of Unsaturated Terminal Aziridines

Significance

This synthetic method elegantly utilizes the carbenoid character of lithiated 3-membered heterocycles. The 2-aminobicyclohexane scaffold that formed in the discovered reaction is an important structural motif in a number of modern pharmaceutical agents. This approach allows an easy construction of functionalized polycyclic and vinylcyclopropane structures, bearing an amino group, which are difficult to achieve by other methods.