Nitriles, dimethyl carbonate reactions

Keto ester 67 was converted to the unsaturated nitrile 70 in a routine manner. The latter proved to be an exceptionally useful intermediate. Concern that the significant steric demands which are associated with the formation of a sigma bond to the fully substituted beta carbon of the unsaturated nitrile would prevent reaction from occurring, were allayed by the discovery that the controlled potential reduction of 70 at —2.4 V in the presence of dimethyl malonate as the proton donor, alforded a 90% isolated yield of the requisite [3.2.1] adduct 71. This material was subsequently converted to enone 72 [42], a convergent point with an existing synthesis of quadrone (59). 

Cesium-exchanged zeolite X was used as a solid base catalyst in the Knoevenagel condensation of benzaldehyde or benzyl acetone with ethyl cyanoacetate [121]. The latter reaction is a key step in the synthesis of the fragrance molecule, citronitrile (see Fig. 2.37). However, reactivities were substantially lower than those observed with the more strongly basic hydrotalcite (see earlier). Similarly, Na-Y and Na-Beta catalyzed a variety of Michael additions [122] and K-Y and Cs-X were effective catalysts for the methylation of aniline and phenylaceto-nitrile with dimethyl carbonate or methanol, respectively (Fig. 2.37) [123]. These procedures constitute interesting green alternatives to classical alkylations using methyl halides or dimethyl sulfate in the presence of stoichiometric quantities of conventional bases such as caustic soda. 

The chemical operations described in the literature to introduce or into citric acid molecule are based essentially on the Grimaux and Adam synthesis. Labeled citric acid was prepared by Wilcox et al. [35] in the reaction of Na CN with 3-chloro-2-carboxy-2-hydroxybutyric acid and the formed nitrile was hydrolyzed directly with hydrochloric acid. From this solution, citric acid was isolated in the form of calcium citrate and finally converted to the acid. An alternative procedme was proposed by Rothchild and Fields [36] to obtain trimethyl citrate from labeled sodium cyanide and di-chloromethyl glycolate. A more complex synthesis of C labeled citric acid is described by Winkel et al. [39]. They used labeled methyl acetate and acetyl chloride (in the presence of hthium 1,1,1,3,3,3,-hexamethyldisilazide, [(CH3)2Si]2NLi which was dissolved in tetrahydiofuran) to obtain methyl acetoac-etate. It reacts in the presence of lithium diisopropylamide, [(CH3)2CH]2NLi, also dissolved in tetrahydrofuran, with dimethyl carbonate to give dimethyl 1,3-ace-tonedicaiboxylate. It is dicarboxylated by the action of bisulfite and potassium cyanide is converted to 3-cyano-3-hydroxy-l,5 pentanedioate and finally hydrolyzed by hydrochloric acid to citric acid. 

Another very elegant reaction is the synthesis of carbon-silylated isoxazoles213 by means of a 1,3-dipolarophilic cycloaddition of nitrile oxide with silylated acetylenes (7), (12) (Scheme 52). If mesitylnitrile oxide (361) and 3,3-dimethyl-3-sila-l, 4-pen-... 

Action of Carbon Disulfide on CH-Acidic Nitriles The reaction of carbon disulfide with alkylidene malononitriles (27) or alkylidene cyanoacetic acid esters (28), in dimethyl formamide in the presence of triethylamine, leads to aminodithiopyrones (29) in high yields.36,86 The preparation may also be realized directly,... 

Cycloadditions have also been used to form germanium-carbon bonds at germanium surfaces. For example, 1,3-butadiene and 2,3-dimethyl-1,3-butadiene react with the dimers present on Ge(100)-2xl to form a six-membered ring and two new Ge-C bonds. Reactions with other unsaturated species such as ethylene, ketones, and nitriles have also been explored. ... 

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