Nitro malonates condensation reactions

The carbon nucleophiles in amine-catalyzed reaction conditions are usually rather acidic compounds containing two electron-attracting substituents. Malonic esters, cyanoacetic esters, and cyanoacetamide are examples of compounds which undergo condensation reactions under Knoevenagel conditions.115 Nitroalkanes are also effective nucleophilic reactants. The single nitro group sufficiently activates the a hydrogens to permit deprotonation under the weakly basic conditions. Usually, the product that is isolated is... 

The use of ethyl [2-13C]acetoacetate instead of diethyl [2-13C]malonate in the condensation reaction with 4H-pyran-4-one afforded ethyl 4-hydroxy[1-13C]benzoate in 87% yield. In this case, 1.1 equiv of 4H-pyran-4-one and 1.1 equiv of potassium tert-butoxide were optimal. The addition of catalytic amounts of the base was not satisfactory. Ethyl [2-13C]acetoacetate was prepared from ethyl [2-13C]acetate as described for diethyl [2-,3C]malonate.18 The maximum yield for this reaction on a 10-mmol scale was only 70% after distillation. 4H-Pyran-4-one reacted with nitromethane and potassium tert-butoxide (each 1.1 equh/) fo afford 4-nitrophenol in 75% yield after purification by flash chromatography. This gives easy access to 4-nitro[4-13C]phenol. With 2,4-pentanedione, the condensation with 4H-pyran-4-one under the same reaction conditions gave 4-hydroxyacetophenone in 45-50% yield after purification. 

A. tn-NUrocinnamic acid. In a 1-1. round-bottomed flask fitted with a reflux condenser are placed 151 g. (1 mole) of tw-nitro-benzaldehyde (Note 1), 115 g. (1.1 moles) of malonic acid, 250 ml. of 95% ethanol, and 25 ml. of pyridine. The mixture is heated on a steam bath under gentle reflux for 6-8 hours and cooled. The large masses of crystals are broken up with a spatula, and the reaction mixture is cooled in an ice bath. The solid is collected on a Buchner funnel, and the residue is washed with 100 ml. of cold ethanol and then with two 100-ml. portions of diethyl ether. The crude w-nitrocinnamic acid is suspended in 300 ml. of ethanol and digested on a steam plate for 2-3 hours. The mixture is cooled and filtered, and the solid is air-dried. The product, 144 155 g. (75-80%), is a light-yellow solid and melts at 200-201° (Note 2). 

Spiro-biscyclam (133) has been prepared by reduction of the spiro-bis(dioxo-cyclam) (131),171 formed from the spiro-octaamine (130) by reaction with diethyl malonate (Scheme 31). A nitroethane/methanal Mannich condensation of the Cu11 compound of (130) formed the spiro-bis(nitro-methyl-cyclam) (132), which reduces to the spiro-bis(amino-methyl-cyclam) compound (134).175... 

An earlier version of this reaction condensed 4.18 and malonic acid to give 4.19. Refluxing 4.19 led to the monomer 4.20), which decarboxylated under the reaction conditions to give 3-amino-3-phenylpropanoic acid, 4.21. Doebner condensation with malonic acid itself sometimes leads to very poor yields of product, as seen above. An improvement in the reaction used nitro-ester 4.22 rather than malonic acid, and 4.23 [ethyl 3-(N-phenylamino)-2-nitroprop-2E-enoate] was produced in good yield. 

Thiophen Analogues of Quinoline.— Interest in the chemistry of thieno-pyridines is continuing. Thieno[3,2-b]pyridine has been prepared in 80% yield through the zinc-chloride-catalysed condensation of 3-aminothiophen hydrochloride with malonic aldehyde acetal. Reaction of the 2-amino-3-benzylthiophen (425) with l-nitro-2,2-bis(methylmercapto)ethylene (426) gave the thieno[2,3-b]pyndine derivative (427) in 29% yield. 5-Ethylthieno-... 

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