Active methylene compounds carbonates

Titanium tetrachloride and a tertiary amine are a useful catalyst for Knoevenagel condensation [149] as shown in Eq. (45) [150]. Because the reaction can be performed under mild conditions, acid-sensitive functional groups survive the reaction conditions and the optically active center at the enolizable position did not racemize (Eq. 45). More examples of the titanium-catalyzed Knoevenagel condensation are shown in Table 5. Alkylation of an (unsaturated) (iV,0)-acetal with active methylene compounds was performed analogously in the presence of TiCU and NEts (Eq. 46) [154]. Depending on the structure of the active methylene compounds, carbon-carbon bond... 

Application of 7r-allylpalladium chemistry to organic synthesis has made remarkable progress[l]. As deseribed in Chapter 3, Seetion 3, Tt-allylpalladium complexes react with soft carbon nucleophiles such as maionates, /3-keto esters, and enamines in DMSO to form earbon-carbon bonds[2, 3], The characteristie feature of this reaction is that whereas organometallic reagents are eonsidered to be nucleophilic and react with electrophiles, typieally earbonyl eompounds, Tt-allylpalladium complexes are electrophilie and reaet with nucleophiles such as active methylene compounds, and Pd(0) is formed after the reaction. 

Wylation under neutral conditions. Reactions which proceed under neutral conditions are highly desirable, Allylation with allylic acetates and phosphates is carried out under basic conditions. Almost no reaction of these allylic Compounds takes place in the absence of bases. The useful allylation under neutral conditions is possible with some allylic compounds. Among them, allylic carbonates 218 are the most reactive and their reactions proceed under neutral conditions[13,14,134], In the mechanism shown, the oxidative addition of the allyl carbonates 218 is followed by decarboxylation as an irreversible process to afford the 7r-allylpalladium alkoxide 219. and the generated alkoxide is sufficiently basic to pick up a proton from active methylene compounds, yielding 220. This in situ formation of the alkoxide. which is a... 

Aldol Addition and Related Reactions. Procedures that involve the formation and subsequent reaction of anions derived from active methylene compounds constitute a very important and synthetically useful class of organic reactions. Perhaps the most common are those reactions in which the anion, usually called an enolate, is formed by removal of a proton from the carbon atom alpha to the carbonyl group. Addition of this enolate to another carbonyl of an aldehyde or ketone, followed by protonation, constitutes aldol addition, for example... 

The widespread use of cinnamic derivatives has led to the pursuit of reUable methods for thek dkect synthesis. Commercial processes have focused on condensation reactions between ben2aldehyde and a number of active methylene compounds for assembly of the requisite carbon skeleton. The presence of a disubstituted carbon—carbon double bond in the sidechain of these chemicals also gives rise to the existence of two distinct stereoisomers, the cis or (Z)- and trans or (E)- isomers ... 

Alkylidene-2,3-dihydropyridazines (124) are synthesized by coupling of 3-thiomethyl-pyridazinium salts with active methylene compounds in the presence of potassium carbonate in DMF (Scheme 39) (79TL4837). 

The reaction of A-acyliminium ions with nucleophilic carbon atoms (also called cationic x-amidoalkylation) is a highly useful method for the synthesis of both nitrogen heterocycles and open-chain nitrogen compounds. A variety of carbon nucleophiles can be used, such as aromatic compounds, alkcncs, alkyncs, carbcnoids, and carbanions derived from active methylene compounds and organometallics. 

C-coupling is of outstanding importance in the azo coupling reaction for the synthesis of azo dyes and pigments. An aromatic or heteroaromatic diazonium ion reacts with the so-called coupling component, which can be an aromatic primary, secondary, or tertiary amine, a phenol, an enol of an open-chain, aromatic, or heteroaromatic carbonyl compound, or an activated methylene compound. These reactions at an sp2-hybridized carbon atom will be discussed in Chapter 12. In the... 

The diazo transfer reaction between p-toluenesulfonyl azide and active methylene compounds is a useful synthetic method for the preparation of a-diazo carbonyl compounds. However, the reaction of di-tert-butyl malonate and p-toluenesulfonyl azide to form di-tert-butyl diazomalonate proceeded to the extent of only 47% after 4 weeks with the usual procedure." The present procedure, which utilizes a two-phase medium and methyltri-n-octylammonium chloride (Aliquat 336) as phase-transfer catalyst, effects this same diazo transfer in 2 hours and has the additional advantage of avoiding the use of anhydrous solvents. This procedure has been employed for the preparation of diazoacetoacetates, diazoacetates, and diazomalonates (Table I). Ethyl and ten-butyl acetoacetate are converted to the corresponding a-diazoacetoacetates with saturated sodium carbonate as the aqueous phase. When aqueous sodium hydroxide is used with the acetoace-tates, the initially formed a-diazoacetoacetates undergo deacylation to the diazoacetates. Methyl esters are not suitable substrates, since they are too easily saponified under these conditions. 

Classical Aldol. Aldol reaction is an important reaction for creating carbon-carbon bonds. The condensation reactions of active methylene compounds such as acetophenone or cyclohexanone with aryl aldehydes under basic or acidic conditions gave good yields of aldols along with the dehydration compounds in water.237 The presence of surfactants led mainly to the dehydration reactions. The most common solvents for aldol reactions are ethanol, aqueous ethanol, and water.238 The two-phase system, aqueous sodium hydroxide-ether, has been found to be excellent for the condensation reactions of reactive aliphatic aldehydes.239... 

The most characteristic reaction of butadiene catalyzed by palladium catalysts is the dimerization with incorporation of various nucleophiles [Eq. (11)]. The main product of this telomerization reaction is the 8-substituted 1,6-octadiene, 17. Also, 3-substituted 1,7-octadiene, 18, is formed as a minor product. So far, the following nucleophiles are known to react with butadiene to form corresponding telomers water, carboxylic acids, primary and secondary alcohols, phenols, ammonia, primary and secondary amines, enamines, active methylene compounds activated by two electron-attracting groups, and nitroalkanes. Some of these nucleophiles are known to react oxidatively with simple olefins in the presence of Pd2+ salts. Carbon monoxide and hydrosilanes also take part in the telomerization. The telomerization reactions are surveyed based on the classification by the nucleophiles. 

Examples of the Michael-type addition of carbanions, derived from activated methylene compounds, with electron-deficient alkenes under phase-transfer catalytic conditions have been reported [e.g. 1-17] (Table 6.16). Although the basic conditions are normally provided by sodium hydroxide or potassium carbonate, fluoride and cyanide salts have also been used [e.g. 1, 12-14]. Soliddiquid two-phase systems, with or without added organic solvent [e.g. 15-18] and polymer-supported catalysts [11] have been employed, as well as normal liquiddiquid conditions. The micellar ammonium catalysts have also been used, e.g. for the condensation of p-dicarbonyl compounds with but-3-en-2-one [19], and they are reported to be superior to tetra-n-butylammonium bromide at low base concentrations. 

An alternative cyclopropane synthesis via an active methylene compound can also be enhanced by sonication [110]. The number of examples quoted in the literature is low but in the case of ethyl cyanoacetate and dibromoethane sonicated with potassium carbonate and polyethylene glycol in ethylene dichloride the expected cyclopropane is generated in 85 % yield (Eq. 3.19). 

The carbon-bond-forming reactions based on hydrogen transfer catalyzed by Cp Ir complex have been extended to the alkylation of active methylene compounds. Grigg et al. reported the alkylation of arylacetonitriles catalyzed by the... 

Triazoles have also been obtained when the carbon atom adjacent to the activated methylene group carries a nitrogen function (i.e., amides, nitriles, amidines, and imines - ). In many of these cases it is impossible to decide, without N-labeling experiments, whether the third nitrogen of the triazole ring is derived from the toluene-p-sulfonyl azide or from the activated methylene compound. With amides, amidines, and nitriles, the first possibility seems more reasonable, but with imines, the third nitrogen is that of the imino group (Scheme... 

Thiophenes can be synthesized from a sequence involving the reaction of activated methylene compounds with carbon disulfide in base. The resulting disulfide salts, without isolation, are reacted with phenacyl bromide to afford highly substituted thiophenes, 78. Compound 78 reacts with ethyl cyanoacetate, malononitrile, or acrylonitrile to afford thieno[3,2-/ ]pyridine derivatives <1995CCC1578>. 

It has been demonstrated in CHEC-II <1996GHEC-II(7)431> that halogen substituents as well as other good leaving substituents can be readily replaced by carbon nucleophiles, for example, cyanide ion or active methylene compounds. Also, direct cyanation of l-phenylpyrazolo[3,4-i/]pyrimidine was demonstrated. Since then, reactivity toward carbon nucleophiles has not received much attention. However, a few interesting reactions with carbon electrophiles have been reported in the last few years. Thus, reacting 154 with 155 affords 156 (Equation 9) <2002BML1687>. 

Active methylene compounds have more than one activating group such as carbonyl, cyano, sulfonyl, or aryl bound to a methylene carbon. Bases such as hydroxide ion easily remove a proton to form a reactive carbanion. The most widely studied example is the alkylation of phenylacetonitrile (Scheme 1). The abstraction of the proton is generally the rate limiting step. 

Treatment of aliphatic active methylene compounds with such reagents normally leads to oxime formation. An exception is the nitrosation of compounds with active tertiary carbon atoms such as ethyl isopropyl ketone which are convertible into C-nitroso compounds. 

The nitrosation of aliphatic carbon atoms, particularly of carbon atoms activated by adjacent carbonyl, carboxyl, nitrile, or nitro groups, has been reviewed in great detail [2]. Judging from this review, with few exceptions, nitrosation of active methylene compounds leads to the formation of oximes (unfortunately termed isonitroso compounds in the older literature). The few exceptional cases cited in which true nitroso compounds (or their dimers) were formed involved tertiary carbon atoms in which no hydrogen atoms were available to permit tautomerism to the oxime or involved a reaction which was carried out under neither acidic nor basic conditions. 

Active methylene compounds with carbon disulfide and base form reactive salts which undergo [3 +1] additions to a variety of alkylating agents, even gem-dihaloethylenes (Scheme 29) (77CC207, 80S907). The salts can be oxidized to symmetrical desaurin derivatives (Scheme 30) (62CB2861). 

These reactions are virtually limited to molecules possessing an ylidene functionality at the 4-carbon, formally derived from thiochromone condensations with active methylene compounds (e.g., see Section... 

Several routes to pyran-2-ones are based on the reaction of unsaturated 3,3-dichloroal-dehydes with active methylene compounds. The usual variation in the latter reactants is allowed and the reaction follows a sequence of carbanion attack at the carbonyl carbon atom of the chloro compound and ring closure through nucleophilic attack of the carbonyl oxygen at the electron-deficient C-5 (Scheme 96) (58IZV1445). It is not possible to decide at which stage the halogen atoms are lost hydrolysis prior to cyclization would form a 5-keto acid, emphasizing the similarity of this route to those previously discussed. 

Michael acceptors which carry a good leaving group at the a-carbon atom or whose electron-withdrawing group itself can serve as the leaving group may be cyclopropanated by active methylene compounds under basic conditions via a prototropic shift subsequent to the Michael addition as outlined in equation 139. Thus, the basicity of the carbanions involved must be balanced to allow the requisite prototropic shift otherwise, the reaction will be very slow or will not work. 

Allylic carbonates show high reactivity in a related palladium catalyzed decarboxylative allylation of active methylene compounds (equation II). In this case,... 

Type III reactions proceed by attack of a nucleophile at the central sp carbon of the allenyl system of the complexes 5. Reactions of soft carbon nucleophiles derived from active methylene compounds, such as /i-kcto esters or malonates, and oxygen nucleophiles belong to this type. The attack of the nucleophile generates the intermediates 9, which are regarded as the palladium-carbene complexes 10. The intermediates 9 pick up a proton from the active methylene compound and n-allylpalladium complexes 11 are formed, which undergo further reaction with the nucleophile, as expected, and hence the alkenes 12 are formed by the introduction of two nucleophiles. 

Cyclopropanation of active methylene compounds has been achieved with ethylene carbonate as the cyclopropanating agent in the presence of potassium carbonate at 150 °C and a mechanism suggested (Scheme 54).88... 

Insertion complexes of lanthanide isopropoxides with isocyanate can act as carbon dioxide carrier for the carboxylation of active methylene compounds , as exemplified in Scheme 25 [241], The catalytic formation of urethane is based on insertion of isocyanate into the La-OtBu bond of La3(OfBu)9(THF)2 [242]. 

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