Diazoacetate esters

Hydrazine [302-01-2] (diamide), N2H4, a colorless liquid having an ammoniacal odor, is the simplest diamine and unique in its class because of the N—N bond. It was first prepared in 1887 by Curtius as the sulfate salt from diazoacetic ester. Thiele (1893) suggested that the oxidation of ammonia (qv) with hypochlorite should yield hydrazine and in 1906 Raschig demonstrated this process, variations of which constitute the chief commercial methods of manufacture in the 1990s. 

Decomposition of the diazoacetic ester (548) to the keto carbene (549) is promoted by copper(II) trifluoromethanesulfonate. In the presence of nitriles, 1,3-dipolar addition to the nitrile occurred giving the oxazole (550) (75JOM(88)ll5) (see also Section 4.03.8.1). 

Diazoacetic esters are potentially explosive and therefore must be handled with caution. They are also toxic and prone to cause development of specific sensitivity. A well-ventilated hood should be used for the entire procedure. 

In addition to the reactions descubed m the prcpaiation diazoacetic ester unites with misaturatecl acids andfoims cyclic compounds. Fumaric cstei, for example, combines in the following way —... 

In this review an attempt is made to discuss all the important interactions of highly reactive divalent carbon derivatives (carbenes, methylenes) and heterocyclic compounds and the accompanying molecular rearrangements. The most widely studied reactions have been those of dihalocarbenes, particularly dichlorocarbene, and the a-ketocarbenes obtained by photolytic or copper-catalyzed decomposition of diazo compounds such as diazoacetic ester or diazoacetone. The reactions of diazomethane with heterocyclic compounds have already been reviewed in this series. ... 

The copper-catalyzed decomposition of diazoacetic ester in the presence of pyrrole was first described in 1899 and later investigated in more detail by Nenitzescu and Solomonica. Ethyl pyrrole-2-acetate (13), the normal product of electrophilic substitution, was obtained in 50% yield and was degraded to 2-methylpyrrole. Similarly iV -methylpyrrole with two moles of diazoacetic ester gave, after hydrolysis, the 2,5-diacetic acid (14) while 2,3,5-trimethylpyrrole gave, after degradation, 2,3,4,5-tetramethylpyrrole by substitution of ethoxycarbonylcarbene at the less favored )3-position. Nenitzescu and Solomonica also successfully treated pyrroles with phenyl-... 

Jackson and Manske described the decomposition of diazoacetic ester with indoles to give, after hydrolysis, the 3-acetic acid and some 1,3-diacetic acid no product of 2-substitution was found (see also ref. 49). Diazoacetone and diazopyruvic ester similarly gave the 3-sub-stituted indoles.Badger et al. have also examined the reaction of iV -methylindole, as well as of indole, with diazoacetic ester. Again only the 3-substituted product resulted and no evidence was obtained for addition. 

What evidence is there for the individual reaction steps The add-base reaction (Eq, 2) has the characteristics of a Broensted equilibrium, as has been shown in the case of diazomethane-benzoic acid (in toluene). Further evidence for this is provided by the reactions of diazoacetic ester and diazo ketones. The occurrence of free, mobile diazonium cations is also supported by the fact that solutions of diazomethane in methanol show greater conductivity than solutions of pure solvent. ... 

Carbenes and substituted carbenes add to double bonds to give cyclopropane derivatives ([1 -f 2]-cycloaddition). Many derivatives of carbene (e.g., PhCH, ROCH) ° and Me2C=C, and C(CN)2, have been added to double bonds, but the reaction is most often performed with CH2 itself, with halo and dihalocarbenes, " and with carbalkoxycarbenes (generated from diazoacetic esters). Alkylcarbenes (HCR) have been added to alkenes, but more often these rearrange to give alkenes (p. 252). The carbene can be generated in any of the ways normally used (p. 249). However, most reactions in which a cyclopropane is formed by treatment of an alkene with a carbene precursor do not actually involve free carbene... 

Although the hazardous properties of di-tert-butyl diazomalo-nate are not known with certainty, it is reasonable to assume that they are similar to those of diazoacetic esters, which are considered to be moderate explosion hazards when heated. Contact with rough or metallic surfaces should be avoided. The submitter has routinely distilled 10-g. quantities of di-ferf-butyl diazomalonate under argon with no sign of decomposition. 

Silaheterocycles from Intramolecular Reactions of Silicon-functionalized Diazoacetic Esters... 

A variety of silicon-functionalized diazoacetic esters are available by reacting (trifloxysilyl)- or (chlorosilyl)diazoacetic esters with appropriate nucleophiles [1]. Thermally, photochemically, or transition metal induced intramolecular carbene reactions of these novel diazoesters lead to four-, five-, and six-membered silaheterocycles. 

Photolysis of alkoxysilyl-diazoacetic esters 1 generates l-oxa-2-sila-cyclopentanes 2 by carbenic intramolecular C/H insertion. Four- and six-membered rings are not observed. 

Vinyloxysilyl)diazoacetic esters 3 give rise to oxasilacyclopentenes 4 or 5, depending on the mode of decomposition. Heterocycle 4 cannot be converged to 5 under the photochemical or thermal conditions applied for the synthesis of 5. 

Allyloxysilyl)diazoacetic esters 6 and the homologous butenyloxy derivative 9 undergo intramolecular cyclopropanation to form 7 and 10, respectively, when decomposed photochemically or by transition metal catalysis. The thermal reaction of 9 produces the same result, whereas the l-oxa-2-sila-3-cyclopentene 8 is formed from 6, presumably via a pyrazoline intermediate. 

Alkinyloxy)diazoacetic esters 11 give rise to product mixtures that could be separated only partially. The isolated products result from a tandem intramolecular cyclopropenation/cyclopropene —> vinylcarbene isomerization (12, 14) and from a twofold intermolecular (3+2)-cycloaddition of the intact diazo compound (13). 

Table 5. Yields of cyclopropanation of various olefins by diazoacetic esters in the presence of Rh2(OAc)4, Pd(OAc)2 or Cu(OTf)/ b...

Participation of 69 in the reaction scheme would also explain why cyclopropanes are obtained from diazoacetic esters, but dihydrofurans from diazoketones 121 In the latter case, the enolate oxygen in 69 is more nucleophilic, thus favoring 1,5-over 1,3-ring closure. 

Use of a chiral diazo ester proved less rewarding in terms of enantioselective cyclopropanation. Only very low enantiomeric excesses were obtained when styrene was cyclopropanated with the carbenoid derived from diazoacetic esters 219 bearing a chiral ester residue 214). 

Ethyl diazopyruvate, under copper catalysis, reacts with alkynes to give furane-2-carboxylates rather than cyclopropenes u3) (Scheme 30). What looks like a [3 + 2] cycloaddition product of a ketocarbenoid, may actually have arisen from a primarily formed cyclopropene by subsequent copper-catalyzed ring enlargement. Such a sequence has been established for the reaction of diazoacetic esters with acetylenes in the presence of certain copper catalysts, but metallic copper, in these cases, was not able to bring about the ring enlargement14). Conversely, no cyclopropene derivative was detected in the diazopyruvate reaction. 

Copper-catalyzed cyclopropanation of benzene and its derivatives by a diazoacetic ester yields a norcaradiene 230 which undergoes spontaneous ring opening to cyclo-heptariene 231. At the temperatures needed for successful cyclopropanation, sigma-tropic H-shifts leading to conjugated isomers of cycloheptatriene carboxylates cannot be avoided. The situation is complicated by the formation of regioisomers upon cyclopropanation of substituted benzenes, and separation of the cycloheptatriene isomers may became tedious if not impossible. 

Caution Diazoacetic esters are toxic and potentially explosive... 

The specific rate of the hydrolysis of diazoacetic ester N2CHC00C2H5 + H20 => H0CH2C00C2H5 + N2 varies with the hydrogen ion concentration as follows ... 

Aratani et al. (21) subsequently found that the use of chiral menthyl diazoacetate esters led to higher trans/cis ratios and improved facial selectivity. A number of bulky diazoesters provided high enantioselectivity in the cyclopropanation reaction, but trans selectivity was highest with /-menthyl esters, Eq. 6. It seems clear from these and subsequent studies that the menthyl group is used because of its bulk and ready availability. The chirality present in the ester has a negligible effect on facial selectivity in the cyclopropanation reaction. Slow addition of diazoester is required (7 h at ambient temperature) for high yields presumably to suppress the formation of fumarate byproducts. 

Ethyl 2-fluoroethoxyacetate, F [CH2]2 0 CH2 C02Et, could not be prepared by the action of ethyl diazoacetate on pure redistilled 2-fluoroethyl alcohol, and the addition of a small quantity of concentrated hydrochloric acid had no effect, which is rather surprising in view of the known catalytic action of acids on the decomposition of the diazoacetic ester. However, fluoroethyl alcohol which had not been specially dried reacted immediately with ethyl diazoacetate with a vigorous evolution of nitrogen and the simultaneous disappearance of the yellow colour of the diazo ester. 

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