Methyl esters, reversible metalation

In a similar manner, many additions of heteroatom radicals to unsaturated positions have been studied. In many cases, addition reactions of heteroatom radicals to alkenes are reversible and thermodynamically disfavored, but their occurrence is apparent. For example, the rapid addition and elimination of thiyl radicals to unsaturated fatty acid methyl esters results in isomerization reactions from which kinetic parameters can be obtained. Additions of group 14 (IV A) metal-centered... 

Ethyl cyanoacrylate is a little less polar than methyl cyanoacrylate, and has the ability to wet plastic surfaces more readily, and is a better solvent for plastics. With this added ability to make intimate contact with the surface, the bonds on plastic are stronger with ethyl cyanoacrylate than with the methyl ester. This difference in performance gives rise to the adage that methyl is for metal and ethyl is for everything else. Sometimes this difference can be utilized in reverse to good advantage to avoid stress cracking on such sensitive plastics as polycarbonate and polyacrylate. 

For acylations with reactive esters, such as formate or oxalate (see Section 3.6.4.5), sodium alkoxides are still the bases of choice, but sodium hydride, dimsyl sodium, sodium or potassium amide or sodium metal have all been used for the in situ generation of the enolate anion. A typical example is shown in Scheme 47. Acylation by esters results in the production of 1 equiv. of the alkoxide ion, along with the p-dicarbonyl compound proton transfer then results in the production of the conjugate base of the dicarbonyl compound. This process normally leads to the more stable anion in the acylation of an unsymme-trical ketone. The acyl group thus becomes attached to the less-substituted a-position of the ketone. The less stable 0-acylated products are normally not observed in such reversible base-catalyzed reactions. Methyl alkyl ketones are normally acylated on the methyl group where both a-carbons are substituted to the same extent, acylation occurs at the less-hindered site. Acylation is observed only rarely at a methine carbon as the more stable p-diketone enolate cannot be formed. 

Iron-arene complexes are known to exhibit extremely high photoactivity as initiators. Quantum efficiencies have been found to be greater than I in the photopolymerisation of dicyanate esters. Phenylglycine derivatives have been found to be excellent co-synergists for the iron-arene complexes when used in conjunction with dyes and amines. Complexes of various types have also been proposed. Maleic anhydride-THF complexes have been used for the photopolymerisation of oligourethane acrylates while metal-ion complexes of spiropyran copolymers undergo reversible polymer precipitation. Azo and polyazo initiators have been used to make butadiene-isoprene block copolymers while charge-transfer complexes of morpholine-chlorine induce the radical polymerisation of methyl methacrylate. The presence of zinc chloride enhances the... 

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