1,1-Dicarboxylic acids, decarboxylation pyrolysis

Reference has already been made to the partial decarboxylation of pyrazinedicarboxylic acids.219 Both pyrazine itself,232 and 2,3-dimethylpyrazine,207 are conveniently prepared by decarboxylation of the appropriate dicarboxylic acids. The decarboxylation of pyrazine-2,3-dicarboxylic acid is carried out by heating in din-butyl phthalate and gives pyrazine in 90% yield. The 2,3-dicarboxylic acid forms an anhydride in the normal way. Pyrolysis of the anhydride at 800°/0.05 mm through a silica tube gives in 80% yield an approximately 1 1 mixture of maleonitrile and fumaronitrile (Scheme 19). 2,3-Dehydropyrazine is thought to be an intermediate in this reaction and a strong peak of m/e 78, corresponding to the dehydropyrazine ion, is observed in the mass spectrum of the anhydride.233... 

The oxidation of 1,4-dicarboxylic acids with LTA in benzene results in double decarboxylation with the formation of a double bond (equation 16). Similarly, the pyrolysis of the di-r-butyl peroxy esters of... 

The oxidation of 1,4-dicarboxylic acids with LTA in benzene results in double decarboxylation with the formation of a double bond (equation 16). Similarly, the pyrolysis of the di-r-butyl peroxy esters of 1,4-dicarboxylic acids in high boiling solvents leads to the formation of double bonds (equation 17). The method is especially useful in so far as 1,4-diacids are readily available from Diels-Alder reactions using derivatives of mtdeic and fumaric acid as the dienophile. Apparently, application of the 0-acyl thiohydroxamate method to 1,4-diacids does not result in the formation of double bonds but rather in the product of double decarboxylative rearrangement (Section S.4.6.1). ... 

Because citric acid is considered as relatively cheap and abundant material, it was catalytically dehydrated to aconitic acid in the 120-150 °C temperature range by Umbdenstock and Bruin [61]. Aconitic acid can be readily decaiboxylated to a mixture of isomeric itaconic acids (itaconic, citraconic and mesaconic acids). These acids and their esters are nsed to produce alkyl resins and plasticizers. The mechanism of thermal rearrangement of citraconic acid to itaconic acid in aqueous solution was in a great detail investigated by Sakai [62]. In some cases, the applied catalyst caused excessive pyrolysis of citric acid and in the dehydration and decarboxylation reactions acetone dicarboxylic acid (P-ketoglutaric acid) was initially formed and from it acetone. The catalytic pyrolysis of citric acid monohydrate heated up to 140 °C to obtain itaconic and citraconic acids was reported by Askew and Tawn [63],... 

It is interesting to note that dicarboxylic acids were observed initially during hydrous pyrolysis of kerogen (MacGowan and Surdam 1988). However, as heating continued the formation of monocarboxylic acids mirrored decreases in dicarboxylic acid concentrations - suggesting that a portion of the monocarboxylic acids found in basin brines may be the product of decarboxylation of less stable dicarboxylic acid precursors. Of the three dicarboxylic acids found in basin brines, the decarboxylation of malonic acid has been studied most extensively in hydrous systems and in various other solvent systems. 

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