Recently, studies from our group have demonstrated that the thermolysis of alkyne-tethered molybdenum carbene complexes in the presence of electron-poor olefins results in the formation of cyclopentenylcyclopropanes in good yield.'Work in our laboratories2 and elsewhere3 has shown that properly functionalized enynes will react with Fischer carbene complexes via a similar pathway to efficiently produce vinylcyclopropanes. Treatment of ...
