Iron-Catalyzed Cyclopropanation of Alkenes by Carbene Transfer Reactions

The present chapter deals with the catalytic activity of iron complexes to promote carbene transfer reactions for the synthesis of cyclopropane containing molecules. We report herein an overview of the most active cyclopropanation catalysts including iron porphyrinoids, iron complexes of nitrogen ligands and Lewis acidic iron compounds. The analysis of reported data highlights the efficiency of many iron-based catalytic processes in terms of reaction chemo- and stereoselectivities. However, iron catalysts have been undeveloped compared to other transition metal catalysts therefore there is ample opportunity to develop new and fascinating sustainable catalytic processes based on iron.