2-alkyl-4-oxazolecarboxylic acid esters

Meyers and Tavares also investigated radical bromination as a means to effect net oxidation of activated oxazolines. They found these reaction conditions were acceptable for preparing 2-alkyl-4-oxazolecarboxylic acid esters only if the 2-alkyl group was methyl or primary, i.e., 65 Rj = R2 = H or Rj = n-C4, R2 = H. However, these conditions failed completely if the 2-alkyl group was secondary, e.g., isopropyl or cyclohexyl. In these cases, the desired oxazole 65 was isolated in <1% yield. Instead, the sole product was 66, the result of oxidation with concomitant side chain bromination (Scheme 1.20, Table 1.1, entries 7 and 8). 

Barrett and co-workers prepared a key intermediate oxazole 350 in their synthesis of calyculin A using Comforth methodology (Scheme 1.94). The benzyl ester of (/ )-2-methyl-4-pentenoic acid 347 was converted to (/ )-2-methyl-4-pentenenitrile 348 in two steps. Pinner reaction of 348, followed by amine exchange with glycine methyl ester, gave the imidate 349 in 73% yield. Base-catalyzed formylation of 349 with in situ cyclization produced the 2-alkyl-4-oxazolecarboxylic acid methyl ester 350 in good yield. This entire sequence... 

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