Magnesium malonate acylation

Although the antithyroid activity of compounds incorporating an enolizable thioamide function was discussed earlier, this activity was in fact first found in the pyrimidine series. The simplest compound to show this activity, methylthiouracil (80) (shown in both enol and keto forms), is prepared quite simply by condensation of ethyl acetoacetate with thiourea.Further work in this series shows that better activity was obtained by incorporation of a lipophilic side chain. Preparation of the required dicarbonyl compound starts with acylation of the magnesium enolate of the unsyrametrically esterified malonate, 81, with butyryl chlo-... 

Acyl imidazolides are more reactive than esters but not as reactive as acyl halides. Entry 7 is an example of formation of a (3-ketoesters by reaction of magnesium enolate monoalkyl malonate ester by an imidazolide. Acyl imidazolides also are used for acylation of ester enolates and nitromethane anion, as illustrated by Entries 8, 9, and 10. (V-Methoxy-lV-methylamides are also useful for acylation of ester enolates. 

Both diethyl malonate and ethyl acetoacetate can be acylated by acyl chlorides using magnesium chloride and pyridine or triethylamine.223... 

Malonic half thiolesters are prepared in good yields from magnesium mono-methylmalonate with CDI under C-acylation and subsequent addition of a thiol.[179] Benzyl- and allylmalonic half thiolesters are prepared analogously. 

Ethyl 3-oxoalkanoates when not commercially available can be prepared by the acylation of tert-butyl ethyl malonate with an appropriate acid chloride by way of the magnesium enolate derivative. Hydrolysis and decarboxylation in acid solution yields the desired 3-oxo esters [59]. 3-Keto esters can also be prepared in excellent yields either from 2-alkanone by condensation with ethyl chloroformate by means of lithium diisopropylamide (LDA) [60] or from ethyl hydrogen malonate and alkanoyl chloride usingbutyllithium [61]. Alternatively P-keto esters have also been prepared by the alcoholysis of 5-acylated Mel-drum s acid (2,2-dimethyl-l,3-dioxane-4,6-dione). The latter are prepared in almost quantitative yield by the condensation of Meldrum s acid either with an appropriate fatty acid in the presence of DCCI and DMAP [62] or with an acid chloride in the presence of pyridine [62] (Scheme 7). 

Magnesium enolates play an important role in C-acylation reactions. The magnesium enolate of diethyl malonate, for example, can be prepared by reaction with magnesium metal in ethanol. It is soluble in ether and undergoes C-acylation by acid anhydrides and acyl chlorides (entries 1 and 3 in Scheme 2.14). Monoalkyl esters of malonic acid react with Grignard reagents to give a chelated enolate of the malonate monoanion. 

Acyl imidazolides are more reactive than esters but not as reactive as acyl halides. /1-K.cto esters are formed by reaction of magnesium salts of monoalkyl esters of malonic acid with imidazolides. 

They are easily prepared from Grignard reagents, magnesium ethoxide or with the complex magnesium chloride-trialkylamine (see Section II where the generation of these reagents is discussed). The acylation of anions derived from malonates can be achieved with acyl chlorides, acyl imidazoles, aUcoxycarbonylimidazoles or mixed anhydrides. 

Closely related to the carboxylation reactions is the reported preparation of / -ketoesters and / -diketones by replacement of C02 with acyl functions in magnesium derivatives of malonates (Equation 25) (42). 

An essentially neutral process for C-acylation relies on the reaction of imidazolides (542) with the magnesium salt (543) of a malonic acid half thiol ester (Scheme 119) (79AG(E)72>. The method requires slight modification when applied to an w-hydroxycarboxylic acid since a primary hydroxyl reacts with carbonyldiimidazole. The use of malonic acid half thiol esters in this fashion patterns the scheme proposed for carbon-carbon bond formation in the biosynthesis of fatty acids. 

One preparative procedure for achieving this reaction involves the acylation of the magnesium enolate of diethyl malonate with an acid chloride in benzene solution (cf. Expt 5.96), and the resulting aclymalonic ester is then heated to 200 °C with an arylsulphonic acid to effect the decarbethoxylation step. An illustrative example is the preparation of ethyl 3-oxopentanoate (ethyl propionyl-acetate, Expt 5.177). 

The first is the acylation of the magnesium derivative of diethyl malonate. The magnesium atom prevents 0-acylation with acid chlorides, and decarboxylation (p. 678) removes the redundant ester group. 

C-Acylation. C-Acylation of active methylene compounds is usually conducted under basic conditions. Masamune et al. have developed a new method for conducting this reaction under neutral conditions that is patterned on the enzymic synthesis of fatty acids. The acylating reagent is the imidazolide of a carboxylic acid (1) prepared in situ. The substrate is the neutral magnesium salt of a mono ester or thioester of a malonic acid (2), prepared with magnesium ethoxide. The reaction of 2 with 1 is conducted in THF at 25-35° for 18-24 hours the yield of products (3) is generally >85%. ... 

A reaction similar to the above involves the acylation of malonic ester through its magnesium enolate. Thus, the reaction of propionyl chloride with the ester enolate leads to diethyl propionylmalonate. Thermal decomposition of this compound with /3-naphthalenesulfonic acid yields ethyl propionylacetate (57%). This modification appears to be general in that it has been extended to the use of aliphatic, aromatic, and car-balkoxy acyl chlorides. ... 

The C-acylation reactions of magnesium monomethyl malonate proceed in the presence of acid- and base-sensitive functionality, as illustrated in the reaction sequence shown belowH ... 

The acid chloride of tetra-fluoro benzoic acid 203 acylated the magnesium enolate 204 of diethyl malonate to give 205. The chelated magnesium enolate avoids O-acylation. Condensation with ethyl orthoformate puts in the masked aldehyde group and 206 is ready for a succession of aromatic nucleophilic substitutions.39... 

Synthesis of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds by this approach requires the acylation of malonates or other simple 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds as a first step. Sodium or potassium enolates (58) acylate on oxygen but in the corresponding magnesium enolates (59) the oxygen atoms are chelated by the metal, leaving the carbon free to react. 

The ethoxymagnesium derivatives of malonic esters are excellent intermediates for selective introduction of different acyl groups into the esters 428 oxo esters can be acylated by boiling them with the acyl chloride and magnesium in benzene (46-52% yields) 429... 

The bisacylation of methylene-active compounds mentioned above can be avoided by using acylimidazoles in place of acyl halides (acylimidazoles are obtained from the carboxylic acid and sulfinyldiimidazole) for example, reaction of the magnesium enolate of ethyl hydrogen malonate and an acylimid-azole, with concomitant decarboxylation, gives the corresponding / -oxo ester 430... 

Several procedures required for the preparation of porphyrins with labile side chains have already been referred to above or in the earlier article, for example, the conversion of acetoxyethyl or aminoethyl groups (introduced at the pyrrole stage) into vinyl groups. The preparation of porphyrin 3-keto esters has now been improved by the use of imidazolides (rather than acid chlorides) in condensations with magnesium methyl hydrogen malonate. The porphyrin acyl imidazolides have also been converted into acrylic esters by the sequence porCo-imidazole - -CH2OH — CHO - CH = CHC02Me. Alternatively the porphyrin ketoesters may be reduced with borohydride to hydroxyesters and dehydrated to acrylic esters. ... 

C-Acylation of Active Methylene Compounds. Treatment of an acylimidazole, derived from a carboxylic acid and (1), with the magnesium salt of a malonic or methyhnalonic half thiol ester results in C-acylation under neutral conditions (eq 7)7 The presence of secondary hydroxyl functionality in the carboxylic acid is tolerated, but primary alcohols require protection. Magnesium salts of malonic esters may be used equally effectively. Intramolecular C-acylation of ketones has also been reported. ... 

C-Acylation. C-Acylation can be realized by treatment of acylimidazoles, derived from carboxylic acids and 1, with the magnesium salts of malonic esters prepared by using Bu2Mg. Acyl imidazoles can also undergo Claisen-type condensation with the dianion of -keto esters (eq 38). ... 

The preparation of diethyl benzoylmalonate (entry 12) represents the use of an acid anhydride, a function in which it is much more reactive than an ester, as the acylating agent. The reaction must be carried out in nonnucleophilic solvents to prevent solvolysis of the anhydride from competing with the desired reaction. Other limitations on the use of highly reactive acylating agents, such as acid anhydrides and acid chlorides, in reactions with enolates derive from the fact that O-acylation may be the dominant reaction. The magnesium salt of diethyl malonate (entries 12 and... 

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