Patent ID: 7709651

Claim:
A process for producing an optically active cyclopropane compound represented by the formula (4): wherein R 3 , R 4 , R 5 and R 6 are the same or different, and represent a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted alkenyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group, a substituted or unsubstituted aralkyl group or a substituted or unsubstituted alkoxycarbonyl group; provided that, when R 3 and R 5 are the same, R 4 and R 6 are different from each other; and R 7 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, which comprises reacting a prochiral olefin represented by the formula (2): wherein R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , and R 6 are as described above, with a diazoacetic acid ester represented by the formula (3): N 2 CHCO 2 R 7 (3) wherein R 7 is as defined above, in the presence of an asymmetric copper complex prepared from an optically active cycloalkylidenebisoxazoline compound represented by the formula (1): wherein R 1 represents a hydrogen atom, a C1-6 alkyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted aralkyl group or a substituted or unsubstituted phenyl group, R 2 represents a C1-6 alkyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted aralkyl group or a substituted or unsubstituted phenyl group, and n represents an integer of 0 to 3; provided that, when R 1 represents a C1-6 alkyl group, two R 1 s which are bonded to the same carbon atom may be bonded together with the carbon atom to which they are bonded to form a ring; and * represents an asymmetric carbon atom; and a copper compound.