Cinnamic acid, preparation

Addition of tritium to the triple bond was studied by White and Rowland (1960a). Cinnamic acid prepared from phenylpropiolic acid was more than 90% in the trans form. 

Cinnamic acid is usually prepared by Perkin s reaction, benzaldehyde being heated with sodium acetate in the presence of acetic anhydride. It is probable that the benzaldehyde and the acetic anhydride combine under the catalytic action of the sodium acetate, and the product then readily loses water to give mono-benzylidene acetic anhydride (. ). The latter, when subsequently... 

Cinnamic acid can be readily esterified by the Fischer-Speier method without any risk of the addition of hydrogen chloride at the double bond. Proceed precisely as for the preparation of ethyl benzoate (p. 104), using 20 g. of cinnamic acid and 20 ml. of rectified spirit. When the crude product is poured into water, a sharp separation of the ester is not readily obtained, and hence the addition of about 10 ml. of carbon tetrachloride is particularly desirable. Finally distil off the carbon... 

Coumarin is usually prepared by heating salicylaldehyde with acetic anhydride and sodium acetate (i.e., the Perkin cinnamic acid synthesis, p. 23 6), whereby the 0" hydroxy-cinnamic acid (I) undergoes cyclisation to coumarin. Coumarins having substituents in the benzene ring can often be similarly prepared. 

Ethyl cinnamate may also be prepared by the esterification of cinnamic acid. The pure compound boils at 127°/6 mm. 

Hydrocinnamic acid may also be prepared by the reduction of cinnamic acid with sodium and alcohol or with sodium amalgam or with hydrogen in the presence of Adams platinum oxide catalyst (Section 111,150) ... 

Reactions. Heating an aqueous solution of malonic acid above 70°C results in its decomposition to acetic acid and carbon dioxide. Malonic acid is a useful tool for synthesizing a-unsaturated carboxyUc acids because of its abiUty to undergo decarboxylation and condensation with aldehydes or ketones at the methylene group. Cinnamic acids are formed from the reaction of malonic acid and benzaldehyde derivatives (1). If aUphatic aldehydes are used acryhc acids result (2). Similarly this facile decarboxylation combined with the condensation with an activated double bond yields a-substituted acetic acid derivatives. For example, 4-thiazohdine acetic acids (2) are readily prepared from 2,5-dihydro-l,3-thiazoles (3). A further feature of malonic acid is that it does not form an anhydride when heated with phosphorous pentoxide [1314-56-3] but rather carbon suboxide [504-64-3] [0=C=C=0], a toxic gas that reacts with water to reform malonic acid. 

Cinnamic acid undergoes reactions that are typical of an aromatic carboxyhc acid. Using standard methodology, simple esters are easily prepared and salts are formed upon neutrali2ation with the appropriate base. Hydrogenation of cinnamic acid under mild conditions leads to 3-phenylpropanoic acid [501-52-0] whereas under forcing conditions, such as under high pressure in presence of a nickel catalyst, complete saturation to 3-cyclohexylpropanoic acid [701-97-3] is readily accompHshed (8). 

Another potentially valuable method for the preparation of cinnamic acid involves treatment of benzaldehyde with ketene (12). The initially formed oligomer of P-hydroxy-P-phenylpropionic acid is thermally decomposed at 100—250°C in the presence of an acid or base catalyst. 

One of the most interesting uses for cinnamic acid in recent years has been as a raw material in the preparation of L-phenylalanine [63-91-2] the key intermediate for the synthetic dipeptide sweetener aspartame (25). Genex has described a biosynthetic route to L-phenylalanine which involves treatment of immobilized ceUs of R rubra containing the enzyme phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAT,) with ammonium cinnamate [25459-05-6] (26). 

The cinnamic acid is readily prepared by heating benzaldehyde with acetic anhydride and sodium acetate (the Perkin Reaction) (Figure 16.2). 

Radicaloid substitution has not been extensively studied in the thiophene series. Molecular orbital calculations indicate that substitution should occur in the a-position. This has been found to be the case in the Gomberg-Bachmann coupling of diazohydroxides with thiophenes which has been used for the preparation of 2-(o-nitro-phenyl) thiophene, 2-(p-toluyl) thiophene, " " and 2-(p-chloro-phenyl)thiophene. " Coupling in the /8-position has been used for the preparation of 1,3-dimethyl-4,5-benzisothionaphthene (148) from 2-amino-tt-(2,5-dimethyl-3-thienyl)cinnamic acid (149). A recent investigation describes the homolytic phenylation of 2- and 3-phenyl-... 

It is a very aromatic oil, useful in some bouquets, and is found naturally in storax and other balsamic substances. It is prepared by various methods, amongst them being the heating of cinnamic acid with lime to 200°. It is a colourless, highly refractive liquid having the following characters —... 

Phenyl-propyl alcohol, CgH. CHj. CH.2. CHj. OH, is the next highest homologue of phenyl-ethyl alcohol, and is also known as hydro-cinnamyl alcohol. Like the last described bodies it has been known for many years, its first preparation being described in the Aivnalen (188, 202). It occurs as a cinnamic acid ester in storax, and as an acetic ester in cassia oil. It is prepared synthetically by the reduction of cinnamyl alcohol with sodium amalgam and water, or by the reduction of cinnamic or benzyl acetic esters with sodium and absolute alcohol. It has the following characters —... 

Benzyl Ginnamate.—The cinnamic acid ester of benzyl alcohol is a natural constituent of storax, tolu, and Peru balsams. It is a crystalline Bubstance with a characteristic sweet balsamic odour. It may be prepared by heating sodium cinnamate, alcohol, and benzyl chloride together under a reflux condenser. It is a useful ester where a sweet balsamic odour is required to be introduced into a perfume, especially cf the heavy type. It forms white, glistening prisms, which melt at 39°, and.decompose when heated to 350°. The best commercial specimens have the following characters —... 

In recent years, the catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation of a-acylamino acrylic or cinnamic acid derivatives has been widely investigated as a method for preparing chiral a-amino acids, and considerable efforts have been devoted for developing new chiral ligands and complexes to this end. In this context, simple chiral phosphinous amides as well as chiral bis(aminophosphanes) have found notorious applications as ligands in Rh(I) complexes, which have been used in the asymmetric hydrogenation of a-acylamino acrylic acid derivatives (Scheme 43). 

A few data exist on the oxidation by ferricyanide. This is simple second-order (in oxidant and neutral hydrazine), and leads to quantitative production of nitrogen in accordance with scheme (71)-(74) with A 4 k and A i. No scrambling occurs during oxidation of N-labelled N2H4 indicating that all N2 is formed via di-imine" Di-imine so prepared is capable of hydrogenating added unsaturated compounds, for example, phenylpropiolic acid gives m-cinnamic acid" " . 

Intermolecular photocycloadditions of alkenes can be carried out by photosensitization with mercury or directly with short-wavelength light.179 Relatively little preparative use has been made of this reaction for simple alkenes. Dienes can be photosensitized using benzophenone, butane-2,3-dione, and acetophenone.180 The photodimerization of derivatives of cinnamic acid was among the earliest photochemical reactions to be studied.181 Good yields of dimers are obtained when irradiation is carried out in the crystalline state. In solution, cis-trans isomerization is the dominant reaction. 

The chiral center would be installed from either Unear carbamate 15 or branched carbamate 16 via the asymmetric addition of malonate anion to the 7i-allyl Mo complex reported by Trost et al. [11] to afford the branched chiral malonate derivative 17. Decarboxylation of 17 should provide the mono-carboxylic acid 18. Masa-mune homologation with 18 affords our common precursor 14. Linear carbamate 15 was obtained from the corresponding cinnamic acid, and branched 16 was prepared in one pot from the corresponding aldehyde. 

This procedure has been used by the submitters and others to prepare the following cinnamic acids from substituted benzal-dehydes o-nitrocinnamic acid (70%),2 -nitrocinnamic acid (77%),2 w-cyanocinnamic acid (71%),3 o-chlorocinnamic acid (82%),4 m-chlorocinnamic acid (53%),4 -chlorocinnamic acid (73%),4 2,4-dichlorocinnamic acid (70%),4 3,4-dichlorocinnamic acid (81%),4 w-bromocinnamic acid (31%),4 -methoxycinnamic acid (60%),4 and 3,4-dimethoxycinnamic acid (77%).4... 

The method constitutes a simple preparation of ethanol-in-soluble cinnamic acids, of a high degree of purity when compared with the Perkin reaction 6 or the usual procedure for the Doebner reaction,6 which uses a large excess of pyridine. A useful modification of this reaction is to warm the reactants on a steam plate in the absence of alcohol.7 8... 

The procedure described is essentially that of Ballard and Dehn.1 Stilbene has also been prepared by reduction of desoxy-benzoin,20 benzaldehyde,23 and benzil 2o-2c by dehydrogenation of ethyl benzene,30 toluene,30- 33- 3, and bibenzyl 33-3alkaline reduction of phenylnitromethane,40 phenylnitroacetonitrile,40 and desoxybenzoin 43 by distillation of benzyl sulfone,50 benzyl sulfide,60-63 calcium cinnamate,5 cinnamic acid,5d phenyl cinna-mate,6e-6/ and diphenyl fumarate ie by dehydrohalogenation of a,a -dichlorobibenzyl60 and benzyl chloride 63 by dehalogenation of a,a,c/,a -tetrachlorobibenzyl70 and benzal chloride 73 by the coupling of cinnamic acid and phenyldiazonium chloride 8 by de-... 

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