The cyclopropane skeleton holds significant theoretical and practical value in diverse fields such as medicinal chemistry and fuel chemistry, owing to its highly strained ring structure and favorable lipophilicity. This review systematically summarizes the strategies developed over the past two decades for constructing the cyclopropane framework, including cycloaddition reactions of carbenes and carbenoids with alkenes, ylide-mediated cyclizations, metallocyclopropane-involved cyclopropanations, intramolecular cyclopropanations, as well as emerging photocatalytic, electrocatalytic, and enzymatic cyclopropanation methods. Emphasis is placed on the mechanistic pathways, substrate compatibility, and stereoselectivity of the products. Furthermore, this article highlights recent advances in the application of cyclopropane construction strategies across various domains, such as drug development (e.g., synthesis of antiviral and neuroregulatory agents), total synthesis of natural products, and the design of high-energy-density fuel molecules. Finally, future prospects for the development of cyclopropane synthesis are discussed, pointing to the importance of novel high-efficiency catalysts (e.g., nano-supported and porous framework catalysts), advanced photocatalytic technologies, and greener synthetic methodologies as key research directions.

Key words: Cyclopropane, carbine, Cyclopropanation reaction, Synthetic strategies, Medicines, Natural products, High-energy fuel