Electrochemical reduction of 1,1-dihalo-2,2-disubstituted cyclopropanes

The electrochemical reduction of 1,1-dihalo-2-R-2-methylcyclopropanes was studied by polarography and preparative electrolysis. A mixture of stereoisomeric monoboro- and monochlorocyclopropanes was obtained with preparative yield of 60–70% in preparative electroreduction in methanol against a background of 0.1 M LiClO4. In the case of bromine derivatives of cyclopropanes (except when R = CN) an effect was found on the part of the current density on the ratio of cis and trans isomers, which was interpreted as a change, in dependence on current density, of the contributions of the reactions of reduction of the starting compounds (SN2 mechanism) and ionic pairs (SN1 mechanism). The effect of the solvent (CHCl3, DMF, DMSO, MeOH) and background salt (LiClO4, Et4NBr) on the ratio of stereoisomers is in agreement with this interpretation.