Amines catalyst, Knoevenagel reaction

Knoevenagel reaction. The condensation of an aldehyde with an active methylene compound (usually malonic acid or its derivatives) in the presence of a base is generally called the Knoevenagel reaction. Knoevenagel found that condensations between aldehydes and malonic acid are effectively catalysed by ammonia and by primary and secondary amines in alcoholic solution of the organic amines piperidine was regarded as the best catalyst. 

The manufacture of alkyl cyanoacrylate monomers, 1, involves the Knoevenagel reaction of formaldehyde, 2, with an alkyl cyanoacetate, 3, and a base, such as a secondary amine, as the catalyst, shown in Eq. 1. 

When the reactant is of the form ZCH2Z, aldehydes react much better than ketones and few successful reactions with ketones have been reported. However, it is possible to get good yields of alkene from the condensation of diethyl malonate, CH2(COOEt)2, with ketones, as well as with aldehydes, if the reaction is run with TiCU and pyridine in THF. In reactions with ZCH2Z, the catalyst is most often a secondary amine (piperidine is the most common), though many other catalysts have been used. When the catalyst is pyridine (to which piperidine may or may not be added) the reaction is known as the Doebner modification of the Knoevenagel reaction. Alkoxides are also common catalysts. 

The Pechmann and Knoevenagel reactions have been widely used to synthesise coumarins and developments in both have been reported. Activated phenols react rapidly with ethyl acetoacetate, propenoic acid and propynoic acid under microwave irradiation using cation-exchange resins as catalyst <99SL608>. Similarly, salicylaldehydes are converted into coumarin-3-carboxylic acids when the reaction with malonic acid is catalysed by the montmorillonite KSF <99JOC1033>. In both cases the use of a solid catalyst has environmentally friendly benefits. Methyl 3-(3-coumarinyl)propenoate 44, prepared from dimethyl glutaconate and salicylaldehyde, is a stable electron deficient diene which reacts with enamines to form benzo[c]coumarins. An inverse electron demand Diels-Alder reaction is followed by elimination of a secondary amine and aromatisation (Scheme 26) <99SL477>. 

When the amine catalyst is specifically pyridine, the reaction is known as the Doebner Modification of the Knoevenagel Reaction ... 

Olefinic esters may be obtained directly by the Knoevenagel reaction. Alkyl hydrogen malonates are used in place of malonic acid. Decarboxylation then gives the ester directly as in the preparation of ethyl 2-heptenoate (78%) and methyl m-nitrocinnamate (87%). Alkyl hydrogen malonates are readily available by partial hydrolysis of dialkyl malonates. The use of malonic ester in the condensation leads to olefinic diesters, namely, alkylidenemalonates such as ethyl heptylidenemalonate (68%). A small amount of organic acid is added to the amine catalyst since the salts rather than the free amines have been shown to be the catalysts in condensations of this type. Various catalysts have been studied in the preparation of diethyl methylenemalonate. Increased yields are obtained in the presence of copper salts. Trimethylacetalde-hyde and malonic ester are condensed by acetic anhydride and zinc chloride. Acetic anhydride is also used for the condensation of furfural and malonic ester to furfurylidenemalonic ester (82%). ... 

When a compound containing an activated methylene group is the proton-donating catalyst, the presence of a secondary amine is required for easy isolation of the desired ketose derivative in crystalline form. The conditions resemble those requisite for a Knoevenagel reaction. - A condensation of the Knoevenagel type evidently does not occur, as the dehydrated product would be too stable for practical reversibility. However, the addition compound which is an intermediate in the Knoevenagel reaction, such as V, couW be formed from IV. Splitting of V to yield the ketose de-... 

However the mechanism of the action of the catalyst was not demonstrated. The aim of our study is to understand the role of the amine function linked on MTS surface with the opportunity of benefitting from the unique pore structure and surface of this recently discovered family of mesoporous materials. Oiu previous works on the Knoevenagel reaction (scheme... 

On the other hand the catalyst is of great importance primary, secondary or tertiary amines or their corresponding ammonium salts are usually used, but many other catalysts such as phase transfer catalysts, Lewis acids or potassium fluoride can also be applied. The most widely employed catalysts are pyridine, with or without added piperidine, and ammonium salts, such as ammonium or piperidinium acetate. Condensations that employ strong bases or preformed metal salts of the methylene component are not covered here since transformations under these conditions are not usually considered to be Knoevenagel reactions. 

The Knoevenagel reaction [3] is one of the most important C-C bond-forming reactions available to synthetic chemists. It is widely used in the synthesis of important intermediates or end-products for perfumes [4], pharmaceuticals [5], e. g. antihypertensive and calcium antagonists [6], and polymers [7]. The reaction is catalyzed by bases, acids, or catalysts containing acid-base sites [8], e. g. bases such as ammonia, primary and secondary amines and their salts [1], and Lewis acids such as CUCI2 [9], ZnCl2 [10], and Sml3 [11]. 

Amino acids may also be applied as catalysts in the Knoevenagel reaction 914,915 thus ethyl 2-cyano-4-methyl-2-pentenoate has been prepared in 87% yield from 2-butanone and ethyl cyanoacetate in the presence of /9-alanine.916 Other catalysts that have been recommended are benzylamine (additional to the salt of a secondary amine), 917 ion-exchangers,918 and alkali fluorides.919... 

Catalytic behaviors of solid base catalysts for fine chemicals synthesis as well as the fundamental reactions are described. The reactions included are double bond isomerization of olefins, addition of hydrogen and amines to conjugated dienes, dehydration, dehydrogenation, reduction, alkylation, aldol addition and condensation, Wittig-Horner and Knoevenagel reactions, dehydrocyclodimerization, and ring transformation. The characteristic features of different types of solid base catalysts, zeolites, metal oxides, solid superbases and non metal-oxides, are summarized. 

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