Esters, a-diazo

Hydroxy esters/ a-Diazo-0-hydroxy esters (1) can be reduced to 0-hydroxy esters in 65-77% yield by hydrogenation in CH3OH in the presence of 5% Pd on charcoal (equation I). 

P-keto ester a-diazo-P-keto ester Regitz diazo transfer... 

In contrast to diazoacetic esters, a-diazo ketones yield only a-(2-thienyl) ketones in the car-benoid reaction, and methyl 2-diazo-3-oxobutanoate provides methyl 6-acetyl-2-thiabicyclo[3.1.0]hex-3-ene-6-carboxylate (13%) and methyl 2-(2-thienyl)-3-oxobutanoate (67%). Diazomalonic esters yield sulfur ylides that are stable at room temperature and rearrange to products other than cyclopropanes on heating the formation of a 2-thiabicyclo[3.1.0]hex-3-ene derivative 46 is an exception. 

Thermal conversion of diazirines to linear diazo compounds was postulated occasionally and proved by indirect methods. The existence of a diazo compound isomeric to diazirine (197) was proved spectroscopically on short thermolysis in DMSO (76JA6416). An intermediate diazoalkane was trapped by reaction with acetic acid, yielding the ester (198) (77JCS(P2)1214). 

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. ... 

The ketocarbene 4 that is generated by loss of Na from the a-diazo ketone, and that has an electron-sextet, rearranges to the more stable ketene 2 by a nucleophilic 1,2-shift of substituent R. The ketene thus formed corresponds to the isocyanate product of the related Curtius reaction. The ketene can further react with nucleophilic agents, that add to the C=0-double bond. For example by reaction with water a carboxylic acid 3 is formed, while from reaction with an alcohol R -OH an ester 5 is obtained directly. The reaction with ammonia or an amine R -NHa leads to formation of a carboxylic amide 6 or 7 ... 

The strained bicyclic carbapenem framework of thienamycin is the host of three contiguous stereocenters and several heteroatoms (Scheme 1). Removal of the cysteamine side chain affixed to C-2 furnishes /J-keto ester 2 as a possible precursor. The intermolecular attack upon the keto function in 2 by a suitable thiol nucleophile could result in the formation of the natural product after dehydration of the initial tetrahedral adduct. In a most interesting and productive retrosynthetic maneuver, intermediate 2 could be traced in one step to a-diazo keto ester 4. It is important to recognize that diazo compounds, such as 4, are viable precursors to electron-deficient carbenes. In the synthetic direction, transition metal catalyzed decomposition of diazo keto ester 4 could conceivably furnish electron-deficient carbene 3 the intermediacy of 3 is expected to be brief, for it should readily insert into the proximal N-H bond to... 

The diazo function in compound 4 can be regarded as a latent carbene. Transition metal catalyzed decomposition of a diazo keto ester, such as 4, could conceivably lead to the formation of an electron-deficient carbene (see intermediate 3) which could then insert into the proximal N-H bond. If successful, this attractive transition metal induced ring closure would accomplish the formation of the targeted carbapenem bicyclic nucleus. Support for this idea came from a model study12 in which the Merck group found that rhodi-um(n) acetate is particularly well suited as a catalyst for the carbe-noid-mediated cyclization of a diazo azetidinone closely related to 4. Indeed, when a solution of intermediate 4 in either benzene or toluene is heated to 80 °C in the presence of a catalytic amount of rhodium(n) acetate (substrate catalyst, ca. 1000 1), the processes... 

The BF3 Et20-catalyzed aziridination of compounds 47 (Scheme 3.15) with a diazo ester derived from (R)-pantolacetone gave aziridine-2-carboxylates 48 [59]. The reaction exhibited both high cis selectivity (>95 <5) and excellent diastereose-lectivity. Treatment of a-amino nitrile 49 (Scheme 3.16) with ethyl diazoacetate in the presence of 0.5 equivalent of SnCl4 afforded aziridines 50 and 51 in 39% yield in a ratio of 75 25 [60]. 

Carboxylic acids can be converted to esters with diazo compounds in a reaction essentially the same as 10-15. In contrast to alcohols, carboxylic acids undergo the reaction quite well at room temperature, since the reactivity of the reagent increases with acidity. The reaction is used where high yields are important or where the acid is sensitive to higher temperatures. Because of availability, the diazo compounds most often used are diazomethane (for methyl esters) ... 

The diazo transfer reaction between p-toluenesulfonyl azide and active methylene compounds is a useful synthetic method for the preparation of a-diazo carbonyl compounds. However, the reaction of di-tert-butyl malonate and p-toluenesulfonyl azide to form di-tert-butyl diazomalonate proceeded to the extent of only 47% after 4 weeks with the usual procedure." The present procedure, which utilizes a two-phase medium and methyltri-n-octylammonium chloride (Aliquat 336) as phase-transfer catalyst, effects this same diazo transfer in 2 hours and has the additional advantage of avoiding the use of anhydrous solvents. This procedure has been employed for the preparation of diazoacetoacetates, diazoacetates, and diazomalonates (Table I). Ethyl and ten-butyl acetoacetate are converted to the corresponding a-diazoacetoacetates with saturated sodium carbonate as the aqueous phase. When aqueous sodium hydroxide is used with the acetoace-tates, the initially formed a-diazoacetoacetates undergo deacylation to the diazoacetates. Methyl esters are not suitable substrates, since they are too easily saponified under these conditions. 

McKervey and Ye have developed chiral sulfur-containing dirhodium car-boxylates that have been subsequently employed as catalysts for asymmetric intramolecular C-H insertion reactions of y-alkoxy-ot-diazo-p-keto esters. These reactions produced the corresponding ci -2,5-disubstituted-3(2H)-furanones with diastereoselectivities of up to 47% de. Moreover, when a chiral y-alkoxy-a-diazo-p-keto ester containing the menthyl group as a chiral auxiliary was combined with rhodium(II) benzenesulfoneprolinate catalyst, a considerable diastereoselectivity enhancement was achieved with the de value being more than 60% (Scheme 10.74). 

Scheme 10.74 Rh-catalysed intramolecular C-H insertions of y-alkoxy-a-diazo-P-keto esters with sulfonamide ligands.

A closely related reaction employs a-diazo esters or a-diazo ketones.25 With these compounds, molecular nitrogen acts as the leaving group in the migration step. The best results are achieved using dialkylchloroboranes or monoalkyldichloroboranes. 

A number of these alkylation reactions are illustrated in Scheme 9.2. Entries 1 and 2 are typical examples of a-halo ester reactions. Entry 3 is a modification in which the highly hindered base potassium 2,6-di-f-butylphenoxide is used. Similar reaction conditions can be used with a-halo ketones (Entries 4 and 5) and nitriles (Entry 6). Entries 7 to 9 illustrate the use of diazo esters and diazo ketones. Entry 10 shows an application of the reaction to the synthesis of an amide. 

Rhodium carboxylates have been found to be effective catalysts for intramolecular C—H insertion reactions of a-diazo ketones and esters.215 In flexible systems, five-membered rings are formed in preference to six-membered ones. Insertion into methine hydrogen is preferred to a methylene hydrogen. Intramolecular insertion can be competitive with intramolecular addition. Product ratios can to some extent be controlled by the specific rhodium catalyst that is used.216 In the example shown, insertion is the exclusive reaction with Rh2(02CC4F9)4, whereas only addition occurs with Rh2(caprolactamate)4, which indicates that the more electrophilic carbenoids favor insertion. 

Photolysis of the first known cyclic a-diazo-p-oxophosphine oxide 49 is unsuccessful with regard to phosphene formation. There is no evidence for a P/C-phenyl shift, which should lead to 51, nor for a P/C-alkyl shift, which would afford 52 via ring contraction, since none of the expected phosphinic esters could be isolated in methanolM). 

Some functionalized thiophenes have been investigated in order to assess the scope of ylide-derived chemistry. As already mentioned, 2-(hydroxymethyl)thiophene still gives the S-ylide upon Rh2(OAe)4-catalyzed reaction with dimethyl diazomalonate 146 but O/H insertion instead of ylide formation seems to have been observed by other workers (Footnote 4 in Ref. 2S4)). From the room temperature reaction of 2-(aminomethyl)thiophene and dimethyl diazomalonate, however, salt 271 was isolated quite unexpectedly 254). Rh2(OAc)4, perhaps deactivated by the substrate, is useless in terms of the anticipated earbenoid reactions. Formation of a diazo-malonic ester amide and amine-catalyzed cyclization to a 5-hydroxytriazole seem to take place instead. 

The rhodium-catalyzed conversion of a-diazo-p-hydroxy carbonyl into P-dicarbonyl compounds (Table 23, Entries 6-8) in general seems to be preferable to the acid-catalyzed reaction because of higher yields and absence of side-reactions 37S,377). From a screening of 20 metal salts and complexes, Rh2(OAc)4, RhCl(PPh3)3, PdCl2 and CoCl2 emerged as the most efficient catalysts for the transformation of a-diazo-P-hydroxy esters into P-ketoesters 376). This reaction has become part of... 

The above transformation takes place via the catalytic effect of copper (I), which generated the corresponding carbenoid from a-diazo-p-keto esters. These Cu-carbenoides react with the thiocarbonyl group of thioamides, after cyclocondensation to afford 2-aryl-l,3-thiazole-5-carboxylates (Scheme 18).40... 

If desired, the a-diazo /3-keto ester can be purified by a low-temperature crystallization. The diazo ester (10 g.) is cooled to —70° to —75° in a dry ice-acetone bath, and crystallization is initiated by rubbing. (Caution The rubbing should not be continued after crystallization has been initiated.) This material is treated with 5 ml. of anhydrous ether which has been previously cooled, and the mixture is filtered with suction. The residue... 

FORMATION AND PHOTOCHEMICAL WOLFF REARRANGEMENT OF CYCLIC a-DIAZO KETONES D-NORANDROST-5-EN-3 -0L-16-CARB0XYLIC ACIDS, 52, 53 FORMIC ACID, AZIDO—, tert-BUTYL ESTER, 50, 9 Formylation, with acetic formic anhydride, 50, 2 p-FORMYLBENZENESULFONAMIDE, ... 

Non-functionalized aliphatic diazo compounds are fairly rare, and so are their reductions. Good examples of the reduction of diazo compounds to either amines or hydrazones are found with a-diazo ketones and a-diazo esters (pp. 124, 125, 160). 

In conjunction with their Friedel-Crafts alkylation, Terada et al. found phosphoric acid (R)-3m (2 mol%, R = 9-anthryl) bearing a bulky 9-anthryl group to mediate the asymmetric Friedel-Crafts-type reaction of a-diazoester 22a with iV-acylated aldimines 26 (Scheme 10). a-Diazo-P-amino esters 27 were obtained in moderate yields (62-89%) and very good enantioselectivities (91-97% ee) [20],... 

We initially observed [4, 5] that an a-diazo / -keto ester 5 would, on exposure to a catalytic amount of Rh2(OAc)4, undergo smooth cyclization to the cyclopentane derivative 6 (Scheme 16.2). The a-diazo / -keto ester 5 is readily prepared by diazo transfer [6] from... 

Any or all of the diastereomeric products 11-14 (Scheme 16.3) could have been formed by cyclization of the a-diazo ester 10, in which only 12 was observed [9]. In an attempt to rationalize this result, we developed a computationally based model for the transition state of the C-H insertion. 

An understanding of the mechanism [10] for rhodium-mediated intramolecular C-H insertion begins with the recognition that these a-diazo carbonyl derivatives can also be seen as stabilized ylides, such as 15 (Scheme 16.4). The catalytic rhodium(II) car-boxylate 16 is Lewis acidic, with vacant coordination sites at the apical positions, as shown. The first step in the mechanism, carbene transfer from the diazo ester to the rhodium, begins with complexation of the electron density at the diazo carbon with an open rhodium coordination site, to give 17. Back-donation of electron density from the proximal rhodium to the carbene carbon, with concomitant loss of N2, then gives the intermediate rhodium carbene complex 18. 

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