Elimination esters

To avoid the formation of ketenes by alkoxide elimination, ester enolates are often prepared at low temperatures. If unreactive alkyl halides are used, the addition of BU4NI to the reaction mixture can be beneficial [134]. Examples of the radical-mediated a-alkylation of support-bound a-haloesters are given in Table 5.4. Further methods for C-alkylating esters on insoluble supports include the Ireland-Claisen rearrangement of O-allyl ketene acetals (Entry 6, Table 13.16). Malonic esters and similar strongly C,H-acidic compounds have been C-alkylated with Merrifield resin [237,238]. 

The combination of a carboxylic acid and an alcohol gives an ester water is eliminated. Ester formation is an equilibrium process, catalyzed by an acid catalyst. 

Claisen condensation Condensation of an ester with another ester, a ketone or a nitrile in the presence of sodium ethoxide, sodium or sodamidc, with the elimination of an alcohol. The result is the formation of a / -ketonic ester, ketone, or nitrile respectively, e.g. 

The Claisen condensation is initiated by deprotonation of an ester molecule by sodium ethanolate to give a carbanion that is stabilized, mostly by resonance, as an enolate. This carbanion makes a nucleophilic attack at the partially positively charged carbon atom of the e.ster group, leading to the formation of a C-C bond and the elimination ofan ethanolate ion, This Claisen condensation only proceeds in strongly basic conditions with a pH of about 14. 

The preparation of -butyl bromide as an example of ester formation by Method 1 (p. 95) has certain advantages over the above preparation of ethyl bromide. -Butanol is free from Excise restrictions, and the -butyl bromide is of course less volatile. and therefore more readily manipulated without loss than ethyl bromide furthermore, the n-butyl bromide boils ca. 40° below -butyl ether, and traces of the latter formed in the reaction can therefore be readily eliminated by fractional distillation. 

This Reaction should be carefully distinguished from the Claisen Conden-tation, which is the condensation of an ester, under the influence of sodium ethoxide, with (i) another ester, (ii) a ketone, or (iii) a nitrile, with the elimination of alcohol. For details of this condensation, see Ethyl Acetoacetate, p. 264. 

Although two isomeric esters are theoretically possible, the main product is the 2-ester (formulated above) traces of the isomeric l-ester are eliminated during purification. These derivatives possess a free carboxyl group their equivalent weights may therefore be determined by titration with standard alkali and thus serve as an additional check upon the identity of the compound. 

Mix 31 g. (29-5 ml.) of benzyl alcohol (Section IV, 123 and Section IV,200) and 45 g. (43 ml.) of glacial acetic acid in a 500 ml. round-bottomed flask introduce 1 ml. of concentrated sulphuric acid and a few fragments of porous pot. Attach a reflux condenser to the flask and boil the mixture gently for 9 hours. Pour the reaction mixture into about 200 ml. of water contained in a separatory funnel, add 10 ml. of carbon tetrachloride (to eliminate emulsion formation owing to the slight difference in density of the ester and water, compare Methyl Benzoate, Section IV,176) and shake. Separate the lower layer (solution of benzyl acetate in carbon tetrachloride) and discard the upper aqueous layer. Return the lower layer to the funnel, and wash it successively with water, concentrated sodium bicarbonate solution (until effervescence ceases) and water. Dry over 5 g. of anhydrous magnesium sulphate, and distil under normal pressure (Fig. II, 13, 2) with the aid of an air bath (Fig. II, 5, 3). Collect the benzyl acetate a (colourless liquid) at 213-215°. The yield is 16 g. 

If alkyl groups are attached to the ylide carbon atom, cis-olefins are formed at low temperatures with stereoselectivity up to 98Vo. Sodium bis(trimethylsilyl)amide is a recommended base for this purpose. Electron withdrawing groups at the ylide carbon atom give rise to trans-stereoselectivity. If the carbon atom is connected with a polyene, mixtures of cis- and rrans-alkenes are formed. The trans-olefin is also stereoseiectively produced when phosphonate diester a-carbanions are used, because the elimination of a phosphate ester anion is slow (W.S. Wadsworth, 1977). 

Methylsulfinyl enolates are more recently developed d -reagents. They are readily prepared from carboxylic esters and dimsyl anion. Methanesulfenic acid can be eliminated thermally after the condensation has taken place. An example is found in Bartlett s Brefeldin synthesis (P.A. Bartlett. 1978). 

In the reaction of Q,/3-unsaturated ketones and esters, sometimes simple Michael-type addition (insertion and hydrogenolysis, or hydroarylation, and hydroalkenylation) of alkenes is observed[53,54]. For example, a simple addition product 56 to methyl vinyl ketone was obtained by the reaction of the heteroaromatic iodide 55[S5]. The corresponding bromide affords the usual insertion-elimination product. Saturated ketones are obtained cleanly by hydroarylation of o,/3l-unsaturated ketones with aryl halides in the presence of sodium formate, which hydrogenolyses the R—Pd—I intermediate to R— Pd—H[56]. Intramolecular hydroarylation is a useful reaction. The diiodide 57 reacts smoothly with sodium formate to give a model compound for the afla-toxin 58. (see Section 1.1.6)[57]. Use of triethylammonium formate and BU4NCI gives better results. 

The aryl- and heteroarylfluorosilanes 541 can be used for the preparation of the unsymmetrical ketones 542[400], Carbonylation of aryl triflate with the siloxycyclopropane 543 affords the 7-keto ester 545. In this reaction, transme-tallation of the siloxycyclopropane 543 with acylpalladium and ring opening generate Pd homoenolate as an intermediate 544 without undergoing elimination of/3-hydrogen[401],... 

The acylpalladium complex formed from acyl halides undergoes intramolecular alkene insertion. 2,5-Hexadienoyl chloride (894) is converted into phenol in its attempted Rosenmund reduction[759]. The reaction is explained by the oxidative addition, intramolecular alkene insertion to generate 895, and / -elimination. Chloroformate will be a useful compound for the preparation of a, /3-unsaturated esters if its oxidative addition and alkene insertion are possible. An intramolecular version is known, namely homoallylic chloroformates are converted into a-methylene-7-butyrolactones in moderate yields[760]. As another example, the homoallylic chloroformamide 896 is converted into the q-methylene- -butyrolactams 897 and 898[761]. An intermolecular version of alkene insertion into acyl chlorides is known only with bridgehead acid chlorides. Adamantanecarbonyl chloride (899) reacts with acrylonitrile to give the unsaturated ketone 900[762],... 

Diphenylketene (253) reacts with allyl carbonate or acetate to give the a-allylated ester 255 at 0 °C in DMF, The reaction proceeds via the intermediate 254 formed by the insertion of the C = C bond of the ketene into 7r-allylpalla-dium, followed by reductive elimination. Depending on the reaction conditions, the decarbonylation and elimination of h-hydrogen take place in benzene at 25 °C to afford the conjugated diene 256(155]. 

Silyl enol ethers are other ketone or aldehyde enolate equivalents and react with allyl carbonate to give allyl ketones or aldehydes 13,300. The transme-tallation of the 7r-allylpalladium methoxide, formed from allyl alkyl carbonate, with the silyl enol ether 464 forms the palladium enolate 465, which undergoes reductive elimination to afford the allyl ketone or aldehyde 466. For this reaction, neither fluoride anion nor a Lewis acid is necessary for the activation of silyl enol ethers. The reaction also proceed.s with metallic Pd supported on silica by a special method[301j. The ketene silyl acetal 467 derived from esters or lactones also reacts with allyl carbonates, affording allylated esters or lactones by using dppe as a ligand[302]... 

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