Methyl acetoacetate

One route to o-nitrobenzyl ketones is by acylation of carbon nucleophiles by o-nitrophenylacetyl chloride. This reaction has been applied to such nucleophiles as diethyl malonatc[l], methyl acetoacetate[2], Meldrum s acid[3] and enamines[4]. The procedure given below for ethyl indole-2-acetate is a good example of this methodology. Acylation of u-nitrobenzyl anions, as illustrated by the reaction with diethyl oxalate in the classic Reissert procedure for preparing indolc-2-carboxylate esters[5], is another route to o-nitrobenzyl ketones. The o-nitrophenyl enamines generated in the first step of the Leimgruber-Batcho synthesis (see Section 2.1) are also potential substrates for C-acylation[6,7], Deformylation and reduction leads to 2-sub-stituted indoles. 

Methyl acetoacetate (MAA) and ethyl acetoacetate (EAA) are the most widely used esters they are found ia the pharmaceutical, agricultural, and allied industries. Both esters are used extensively as amine protecting agents ia the manufacture of antibiotics and synthetic sweeteners (Dane Salts) (147). Principal outiets for MAA are the manufacture of the organophosphoms insecticide dia2inon [33341-5] (148,149) and the uracil herbicides bromacil [31440-9] and terbacil [5902-51-2] (150,151) (see Insect conztiol technology Herbicides). 

A different procedure provides access to 2,3,5-trisubstituted furans. Deslongchamps discovered that simply heating a mixture of glyceraldehyde (41) and methyl acetoacetate (42) in DMF provides a high yield of furan 43. Subsequent transformations enable selective substitution at the 2-position of the product. 

Although the Pinner pyrimidine synthesis was discovered a century ago only a few reports on the reaction mechanism have appeared. The condensation of acetylacetone, methyl acetoacetate, or dimethyl malonate with acetamidine (6) has been studied by Katritzky et al. and the reaction mechanisms for these processes have been proposed by these authors. Outlined below is the proposed mechanism of the condensation of methyl acetoacetate (4) with acetamidine (6)7... 

The Hantsch pyridine synthesis provides the final step in the preparation of all dihydrop-yridines. This reaction consists in essence in the condensation of an aromatic aldehyde with an excess of an acetoacetate ester and ammonia. Tlie need to produce unsymmetrically subsrituted dihydropyridines led to the development of modifications on the synthesis. (The chirality in unsymmetrical compounds leads to marked enhancement in potency.) Methyl acetoacetate foniis an aldol product (30) with aldehyde 29 conjugate addition of ethyl acetoacetate would complete assembly of the carbon skeleton. Ammonia would provide the heterocyclic atom. Thus, application of this modified reaction affords the mixed diester felodipine 31 [8]. 

Random incorporation of two different acetoacetates can also be avoided by converting one of the acetoacetates to a derivative which carries the future pyridine nitrogen. For example, treatment of ethyl acetoacetate with ammonia gives the corresponding P-aminocrotonate 32. The aldehyde (34) required for preparation of such an unsymmetrical compound is prepared by reaction of the product from direct metallation of 33 with dimethylformamide. Condensation of that aldehyde with methyl acetoacetate and the p-aminocrotonate from isopropyl acetoacetate leads to isradipine (35) [9]. The same aldehyde with ethyl acetoacetate and the P-aminocrotonate from ethyl acetoacetate gives darodipine (36) [10]. In much the same vein, condensation of the ben-zaldehyde 37 with methyl acetoacetate and its P-aminocrotonate derivative affords riodipine (38) [11]. 

The methyl groups adjacent to the pyridine nitrogens can also be modified without changing calcium channel blocking activity. The most significant change involves replacement of methyl by a nitrile group. Hantsch type condensation of the nitrobenzaldehyde 43 with methyl acetoacetate and the vinyl amine 44 from isopropyl 3-cyano-3-ketopropionate leads directly to nilvadipine (45) [13]. 

To a 1 liter flask containingdimethylformamideatO°C, was added 24.8 g sodium N-(2-meth-oxycarbonyl-1-methylvinyD-D-Ct-phenylglycine (prepared from sodium D-Ct-phenylgiycine and methyl acetoacetate). The mixture was cooled to -40°C and methyl chloroformate (7.5... 

See Cephradine for preparation of D-2-amino-2-(1,4-cyclohexadienyl)acetic acid and then its methyl acetoacetic ester enamine as the starting material. 

Chloro-6-fluorobenzaldoxime Methyl acetoacetate 6-Amino-penicillanic acid Sodium hydroxide... 

This valuable method utilizes the O-TMS enol ethers derived from either pentane-2,4-dione or methyl acetoacetate, the former being the more reactive. Even t-alcohols are rapidly and quantitatively silylated in DMF at room temperature. A similar technique can be used to introduce the TBDMS group, although here ptsa catalysis is required (4). 

Methoxytrimethylsilane, 123 Methyl acetoacetate, 92 Methyl bromoacetate, 107 Methyl 11-hydroxyundecanoate, 58 Methyl lithium, 27,28 Methyl 10-undecenoate, 58 2-Methyl-l, 3-dithiane, 81 (fl/ ,5 )-Methyl-3-phenyldiniethyl-silyl-3-phenylpropionic acid, 53-4 2-Methyl-3-Phenylprop-2-cnal, 111 2-Methyl 2-lrimethylsilyl-1,3-dithiane, 81 2-Methyl-l-(trimcthylsilyloxy)cyclo-hex-l-ene, 100,109 2-Melhyl-l-lrimethylsilyloxy)cyclo-hcx-6-enc, 100 2-Methyl-2-trimethylsilyloxy-pentan-3-one, 132 2-Methylacetophenone, 42-3 2-Methylbutyraldehyde, 85 2-Methylcyclohexanone, 99,100 2-Methylcyclohexanone, 131 4-Methyldec-4-ene, 67-8 Methylenation, 63 2-Methylpropen-l-ol, 131 Methyltriphenylphosphonium bromide, 27 Michael addition, 85 Monohydridosilanes, 128 Monohydroalumination, 29... 

Schneider and Simon82 prepared / -ketosulfoxides 47a and 47b by sulfinylation of the dianions of the methyl acetoacetates 48a and 48b with sulfinate ester 19 followed by decarboxylation of the intermediate products (Scheme 2). Apparently this avoids racemiz-ation experienced by others in the direct synthesis of these compounds9. /J-Ketosulfoxides are also available from the reaction of the anion derived from methyl p-tolyl sulfoxide with esters (see Section II.E). They can also be obtained, in some cases, through the hydrolysis of a-sulfinylhydrazones whose synthesis is described below. Mention has already been made of the synthesis of 2-p-tolylsulfinylcycloalkanones such as 32. 

The following substrates were obtained from commercial sources, methyl pyruvate (1), methyl acetoacetate (2), methyl 4-oxopentanoate (1), and methyl 3-oxopentanoate ( ). Alkyl 5-oxohexanoates (4, 5 and 6) were prepared by condensation of methyl acetoacetate and methyl acrylate followed by acidic hydrolysis, decarboxylation, and esterification [8]. Methyl 3-oxo-4-methylpentanoate... 

The batch containing 1% starting material was resubjected to the dehydrogenation reaction using a reduced charge of DDQ and the batch was saved. This story has been told many times and has become legend in Merck Process Research. There are clearly some important lessons here that every process chemist should learn-and best not the hard way. We later showed that methyl acetoacetate could be used as a quench, eliminating the potential for reduction. 

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