Ruthenium–porphyrin-catalyzed carbenoid addition to allylic compounds: application to [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangements of ylides

The catalytic effectiveness of ruthenium porphyrins for ylide generation in reactions of ethyl diazoacetate and diisopropyl diazomethylphosphonate with allylic amines, sulfides and iodides is described for the first time. These reactions result mainly in products of the [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of intermediate allylic ylides.