Methyl acrylate tandem vicinal difunctionalization

Simple substitution at the a-carbon of the enoate substrate also does not appear to have much effect on the course of the reaction methyl acrylate and methyl methacrylate both function well as substrates in the reaction sequence and isolated yields of the products are similar.100 In certain sterically demanding reaction sequences, a-substitution does reduce the chemical yields of the products but the presence of an a-substituent appears to be of greater importance than the particular identity of the substituent.101 As with ketones, enoate substrates are activated towards tandem vicinal difunctionalization when electron-withdrawing a-substituents are present.102-104... 

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