A Convenient Synthesis of Ethylidine Iodide

Abstract

Ethylidine iodide has recently become of considerable importance for use as a synthetic reagent. This is due to the discovery by Furukawa and coworkers¹ that ethylidine iodide can be used, via reaction with diethylzinc, for addition of ethylidine groups onto the double bonds of olefins to yield the corresponding methyl substituted cyclopropanes.²