“…We have previously demonstrated that these species react with carbonyl compounds to give, after nucleophilic addition and subsequent intramolecular substitution, the corresponding amino epoxides 2, 2 while reaction with Michael acceptors leads to functionalized cyclopropanes 3. 3 In this Letter, we demonstrate further utility of these ylides by reacting them with primary halides, which leads, after a consecutive Hofmann elimination, to the corresponding functionalized alkenes 4. (Scheme 1) 2-Cyanoazetidinium salts 5-7 shown in Figure 1 were selected in order to examine the scope of this sequence by varying the nature of the substituents on the nitrogen atom near to the reacting center.…”