Methylsulfonyl carbanion, with esters

Russell and coworkers147 had found that treatment of dimsyl anion 88 or of a similar methylsulfonyl carbanion with 1,2-, 1,3- and 1,4-dicarboxylic acid esters can give five- to seven-membered cyclic compounds. By this type of cyclization, they prepared ninhydrin hydrate 106 from diethyl phthalate148,149. 

Other carbanionic groups, such as acetylide ions, and ions derived from a-methylpyridines have also been used as nucleophiles. A particularly useful nucleophile is the methylsulfinyl carbanion (CH3SOCHJ), the conjugate base of DMSO, since the P-keto sulfoxide produced can easily be reduced to a methyl ketone (p. 549). The methylsulfonyl carbanion (CH3SO2CH2 ), the conjugate base of dimethyl sulfone, behaves similarly, and the product can be similarly reduced. Certain carboxylic esters, acyl halides, and DMF acylate 1,3-dithianes (see 10-10. )2008 Qxj(jatjye hydrolysis with NBS or NCS, a-keto aldehydes or a-... 

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