Acetoacetate carbanions

Examples of this approach to the synthesis of ketones and carboxylic acids are presented in Scheme 1.4. In these procedures, an ester group is removed by hydrolysis and decarboxylation after the alkylation step. The malonate and acetoacetate carbanions are the synthetic equivalents of the simpler carbanions that lack the additional ester substituent. 

Examples of this approach to the synthesis of ketones and carboxylic acids are presented in Scheme 1.6. In these procedures, an ester group is removed by hydrolysis and decarboxylation after the alkylation step. The malonate and acetoacetate carbanions are the synthetic equivalents of the simpler carbanions lacking the ester substituents. In the preparation of 2-heptanone (entries 1, Schemes 1.5 and 1.6), for example, ethyl acetoacetate functions as the synthetic equivalent of acetone. It is also possible to use the dilithium derivative of acetoacetic acid as the synthetic equivalent of acetone enolate.29 In this case, the hydrolysis step is unnecessary, and decarboxylation can be done directly on the alkylation product. 

If the branches bear functionality in a real case it is ignored here since it is not functionality required to activate (and define) the particular half-reaction. Certain partial synthons exhibit branched (non-linear) arrangement of functionality, e.g. malonate and acetoacetate carbanions in alkylation or a,/5-unsaturated ketones in a-alkylation. In these cases, one of the two functionalized strands out from the a-carbon may be deemed extraneous to the definition, as discussed in Ref. G"). 

The first step is the interaction of the basic catalyst with the ester to produce the carbanion (I) the carbanion so formed then attacks the carbonyl carbon of a second molecule of ester to produce the anion (II), which is converted to ethyl acetoacetate (II) by the ejection of an ethoxide ion. Finally (III) reacts with ethoxide ion to produce acetoacetic ester anion (IV). This and other anions are mesomeric thus (IV) may be written ... 

It may be pointed out that C-alkylation of ethyl acetoacetate is readily aooount for by the mesomeric nature of the carbanion (IV), as will be evident from the following ... 

Facile reaction of a carbon nucleophile with an olefinic bond of COD is the first example of carbon-carbon bond formation by means of Pd. COD forms a stable complex with PdCl2. When this complex 192 is treated with malonate or acetoacetate in ether under heterogeneous conditions at room temperature in the presence of Na2C03, a facile carbopalladation takes place to give the new complex 193, formed by the introduction of malonate to COD. The complex has TT-olefin and cr-Pd bonds. By the treatment of the new complex 193 with a base, the malonate carbanion attacks the cr-Pd—C bond, affording the bicy-clo[6.1,0]-nonane 194. The complex also reacts with another molecule of malonate which attacks the rr-olefin bond to give the bicyclo[3.3.0]octane 195 by a transannulation reaction[l2.191]. The formation of 194 involves the novel cyclopropanation reaction of alkenes by nucleophilic attack of two carbanions. 

Carbon is alkylated ia the form of enolates or as carbanions. The enolates are ambident ia activity and can react at an oxygen or a carbon. For example, refluxing equimolar amounts of dimethyl sulfate and ethyl acetoacetate with potassium carbonate gives a 36% yield of the 0-methylation product, ie, ethyl 3-methoxy-2-butenoate, and 30% of the C-methylation product, ie, ethyl 2-methyl-3-oxobutanoate (26). Generally, only one alkyl group of the sulfate reacts with beta-diketones, beta-ketoesters, or malonates (27). Factors affecting the 0 C alkylation ratio have been extensively studied (28). Reaction ia the presence of soHd Al O results mosdy ia C-alkylation of ethyl acetoacetate (29). 

The mechanism of the Feist-Benary reaction involves an aldol reaction followed by an intramolecular 0-alkylation and dehydration to yield the furan product. In the example below, ethyl acetoacetate (9) is deprotonated by the base (B) to yield anion 10 this carbanion reacts with chloroacetaldehyde (8) to furnish aldol adduct 11. Protonation of the alkoxide anion followed by deprotonation of the [i-dicarbonyl in 12 leads to... 

One significant difference from the simple aldol reaction, however, is that the original adduct (113) now possesses a good leaving group (OEt) thus instead of adding a proton, as in the aldol reaction proper (p. 224), eOEt is lost to yield a /1-ketoester, ethyl 3-ketobutanoate (ethyl acetoacetate, 114). This is finally converted by base (eOEt) into its stabilised (delocalised) carbanion, (115). 

Acetone cyanohydrin nitrate, a reagent prepared from the nitration of acetone cyanohydrin with acetic anhydride-nitric acid, has been used for the alkaline nitration of alkyl-substituted malonate esters. In these reactions sodium hydride is used to form the carbanions of the malonate esters, which on reaction with acetone cyanohydrin nitrate form the corresponding nitromalonates. The use of a 100 % excess of sodium hydride in these reactions causes the nitromalonates to decompose by decarboxylation to the corresponding a-nitroesters. Alkyl-substituted acetoacetic acid esters behave in a similar way and have been used to synthesize a-nitroesters. Yields of a-nitroesters from both methods average 50-55 %. 

Acetoacetic ester synthesis is the preparation of substituted acetones, and it s an important method for creating a variety of products. It begins with the reaction of acetoacetic ester (a dicarbonyl) or a similar compound with a strong base to produce a carbanion, which then reacts with alkyl halide, RX. The structure of acetoacetic ester is in Figure 15-10. Figure 15-11 illustrates an example of an acetoacetic ester synthesis and two possible outcomes. Figure 15-12 shows the preparation of 2-heptanone with a 65 percent yield via the acetoacetic ester synthesis. Figure 15-13 presents the preparation of 2-benzylcyclohexanone with a 77 percent yield. 

The first step in the constmction of the terminal side chain in the first glitazones comprises a reaction of benzaldehyde (106-1) with the mono-oxime (106-2) from biacetyl to afford the benzoxazole Al-oxide (106-3). Reaction of that intermediate with phosphoms oxychloride leads the chlorination of the adjacent methyl group in a version of the Plonovski reaction to afford the choromethyl derivative (106-4). This is then used to alkylate the carbanion from the substimted acetoacetate... 

Acetoacetic ester is acidic (pX = 10.2) and forms a resonance-stabilized carbanion whose negative charge is delocalized over one C and two O s. 

The second hydrogen on the methylene unit of acetoacetic ester can also be replaced by an alkyl group, creating a disubstituted acid. To accomplish this conversion, the reaction product in step 2 above would be reacted with a very strong base to create a carbanion. 

Like the acetoacetic ester reaction, the malonie ester synthesis also proceeds via a carbanion and thus the alkyl halide should be either primary or secondary. Tertiary and aromatic halides will not work. 

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