Methylene compounds, Regitz diazo reactions

The reaction sequence is called the Regitz diazo transfer and requires active methylene compounds as substrates/ Hence it is common to use formic esters to create P-carbonyl compounds from ketones or aldehydes in an aldol reaction. These are used as substrates for deformy-lative diazo transfer reactions in which the diazo group is transferred and the formyl group is removed in one concerted step. The mechanism of the deformylative diazo transfer is shown below. In this case the bulky base NaHMDS ensures deprotonation at the less-hindered a-position of 3, forming the so-called kinetic enolate 13. This enolate is formylated by ethyl formate yielding the P-formyl ketone 14, which is used as substrate in the deformylative diazo transfer. 

Regitz, M. Reaction of active methylene compounds with azides. I. New synthesis of a-diazo-P-dicarbonyl compounds from... 

The Regitz reaction involves the transfer of a diazo group from the tosyl azide or mesyl azide to active methylene compounds such as 1,3-diketones and their derivatives (1) in the presence of a base leading to 2-diazo-l,3-diketones (2). 

Regitz diazo transfer reactions have been reviewed previously.1-3 The following two main routes have been known for the synthesis of diazo compounds (1) diazotization of amines, oximes, nitrosoamines, and hydrazones (2) transfer of the diazo function from tosyl or mesyl azides to active methylene compounds. 

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