Iron mediated nitrenoid transfer:: [(η5-C5H5)Fe(CO)2(THF)]+[BF4]- catalyzed aziridination of olefins

The iron Lewis acid catalyst, [(eta(5)-C5H5)Fe(CO)(2)(THF)](+)[BF4](-), has previously been found to catalyze a growing array of synthetic transformations. Building upon these precedents, the utility of the catalyst has now been extended to catalytic reaction involving olefins and (N-(p -tosyl)imino)phenyliodinane, PhI = NTs, which serves as a nitrenoid precursor, to produce aziridines with yields up to 85%. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.