Cyanoacetates

C8H10N4O2. An alkaloid occurring in tea, coffee and guarana, from which it may be prepared by extraction, It is also manufactured by the methylation of theobromine and by the condensation of cyanoacetic acid with urea. Crystallizes with H2O or anhydrous from organic solvents. M.p. (anhydrous) 235"C, sublimes at 176 C. Odourless, and with a very bitter taste. Caffeine acts as a stimulant and diuretic, and is a constituent of cola drinks, tea and coffee. 

The first part of this preparation (as far as the solidification of the sodium cyanoacetate) must be carried out in the fume-cupboard. Add 30 g. of monochloroacetic acid to 60 ml. of water contained in a wide evaporating-basin (about 12-15 diameter)... 

The Michael Addition Reaction consists in the addition of the sodio-derivative of ethyl acetoacetate, ethyl malonate or ethyl cyanoacetate to an olefine group... 

Ethyl cyanoacetate, a substance of importance in synthetical work, is prepared from chloroacetic acid by the following series of reactions ... 

Two compounds, which may be prepared from ethyl cyanoacetate and also find application in synthetical work, may be included here. Cyanoacetamide, prepar from ethyl cyanoacetate and concentrated ammonia solution ... 

Gyanoacetamide. Place 150 ml. of concentrated aqueous ammonia solution (sp. gr. 0-88) in a 500 ml. wide-mouthed conical flask and add 200 g. (188 ml.) of ethyl cyanoacetate. Shake the cloudy mixture some heat is evolved and it becomes clear in about 3 minutes. Stand the loosely stoppered flask in an ice-salt mixture for 1 hour, filter rapidly with suction, and ash the solid with two 25 ml. portions of ice-cold ethanol. Dry in the air the yield of pale yellow cyanoacetamide is 110 g. (1). Recrystallise from 190 ml. of 95 per cent, ethanol a colourless product, m.p. 119-120 , is deposited with practically no loss. 

Ethyl malonate can be conveniently prepared by neutralising a solution of monochloroacetic acid with sodium bicarbonate, then heating with potassium cyanide to form sodium cyanoacetate ... 

CHjClCOONa + KCN —> CHj(CN)COONa + KCl Upon warming the crude sodium cyanoacetate with ethyl alcohol and sulphuric acid, ethyl malonate is produced. Two mechanisms of the reaction have been proposed —... 

Ethyl cyanoacetate (Section 111,131) is sometimes preferable to diethyl malonate for the synthesis of acids. It forms a sodio derivative with sodium ethoxide ... 

Alkylation of the sodio derivative affords the C-substituted cyanoacetic ester, which when heated with dilute acid gives the mono-substitut acetic acid. 

Acetone Ethyl cyanoacetate Ethyl i opropylidene cyanoacetate... 

The formation of ethyl isopropylidene cyanoacetate is an example of the Knoevenagel reaction (see Discussion before Section IV,123). With higher ketones a mixture of ammonium acetate and acetic acid is an effective catalyst the water formed is removed by azeotropic distillation with benzene. The essential step in the reaction with aqueous potassium cyanide is the addition of the cyanide ion to the p-end of the ap-double bond ... 

Into a 500 nil. round-bottomed flask, provided with a double surface condenser, place 50 g. (63 ml.) of pure, dry acetone, 50 g. (47 ml.) of ethyl cyanoacetate (Section 111,131) and 0 -5 g. of piperidine. Allow to stand for 60 hours and heat on a water bath for 2 hours. Treat the cold reaction mixture with 100 ml. of ether, wash with dilute hydrochloric acid, then with water, and dry over anhydrous sodium or magnesium sulphate. Distil under diminished pressure and collect the ethyl fsopropylidene cyanoacetate (ethyl a-cyano-pp-dimethylacrylate) at 114-116°/14mm.(l). The yield is 39 g. 

When acetone is condensed with ethyl cyanoacetate in the presence of a solution of anhydrous ammonia in absolute alcohol at —5°, the ammonium salt of the dicyano-imlde (I) is precipitated. Upon dissolving this salt in water and adding excess of concentrated hydrochloric acid, the crystalline dicyano-imide (II) is obtained. Hydrolysis of the last-named with strong sulphuric acid affords p p dimethylglutaric acid (III). 

The above is an example of the Guareschi reaction. It is applicable to most dialkyl ketones and to alicyclic ketones (e.g., cyclohexanone, cyc/opentanone, etc.). The condensation product (I) is probably formed by a simple Knoe-venagel reaction of the ketone and ethyl cyanoacetate to yield ethyl a-cyano-pp dimethylacrylate (CH3)2C=C(CN)COOCjHj, followed by a Michael ad tion of a second molecule of ethyl cyanoacetate finally, the carbethoxyl groups are converted to the cyclic imide structure by the action of ammonia. 

Arylation or alkenylation of soft carbon nucleophiles such as malonate is carried out by using a copper catalyst, but it is not a smooth reaction. The reaction of malononitrile, cyanoacetate, and phenylsulfonylacetonitrile with aryl iodide is possible by using a Pd catalyst to give the coupling products. 

Geranyl acetoacetate (685) is converted into geranylacetone (686). On the other hand, a mixture of E- and Z-isomers of 688 is obtained from neryl acetoacetate (687). The decarboxylation and allylation of the allyl malonate or cyanoacetate 689 affords the o-allylated acetate or nitriie[447]. The trifluoromethyl ketone 691 is prepared from cinnamyl 4.4,4-trifluoroacetoace-tate (690)[448],... 

The allyl cyanoacetate 731 can be converted into an a, /3-unsaturated nitrile by the decarboxylation-elimination reaction[460], but allyl malonates cannot be converted into unsaturated esters, the protonation and allylation products being formed instead. 

The decarboxylation of allyl /3-keto carboxylates generates 7r-allylpalladium enolates. Aldol condensation and Michael addition are typical reactions for metal enolates. Actually Pd enolates undergo intramolecular aldol condensation and Michael addition. When an aldehyde group is present in the allyl fi-keto ester 738, intramolecular aldol condensation takes place yielding the cyclic aldol 739 as a main product[463]. At the same time, the diketone 740 is formed as a minor product by /3-eIimination. This is Pd-catalyzed aldol condensation under neutral conditions. The reaction proceeds even in the presence of water, showing that the Pd enolate is not decomposed with water. The spiro-aldol 742 is obtained from 741. Allyl acetates with other EWGs such as allyl malonate, cyanoacetate 743, and sulfonylacetate undergo similar aldol-type cycliza-tions[464]. 

Hydrogenolysis of the diallyl alkylmalonate 757 with formic acid in boiling dioxane affords the monocarboxylic acid 758. Allyl ethyl malonates are converted into ethyl carboxylates[471]. The malonic allyl ester TV-allylimide 759 undergoes smooth deallylation in refluxing dioxane to give the simple imide 760(472]. The allyl cyanoacetate 761 undergoes smooth decarboxylation to give... 

The preparation of ethyl cyanoacetate proceeds via ethyl chloroacetate and begins with acetic acid Wnte a sequence of reactions descnbmg this synthesis... 

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