3-Oxobutanoate esters, acidity enolization

Comprehensive work in this field has been done by Slovak authors (98MI1, 95M1359, 96CCC269, 96CCC371, 97CCC99). They prepared 2-substituted (H, Me, Ph) 4-, 5-, 6-, and 7-nitrobenzoxazoles, which were then reduced to amines (not isolated) and subjected to subsequent nucleophilic substitution with activated enol ethers such as alkoxymethylene derivatives of malonic acid esters and nitrile, 3-oxobutanoic acid esters, pentanedione, or cyanoacetic acid esters to yield aminoethylenes 8. 

Ethyl 3-oxobutanoate, commonly called ethyl acetoacetate or ace tome tic ester, is much like malonic ester in that its ct hydrogens are flanked by two carbonyl groups. It is therefore readily converted into its enolate ion, which can be alkylated by reaction with an alkyl halide. A second alkylation can also be carried out if desired, since acetoacetic ester has two acidic a hydrogens. 

The photo-Fries rearrangement of aryl hydrogen (or methyl) succinates 267 leads to 4-(2-hydroxyaryl)-4-oxobutanoic acids (or methyl esters 268), which are readily cyclized to 5-(2-acetoxyaryl)-2(3//)-furanones (269) (Scheme 68). [189-191] Photolysis of 269 [191] or the analogous open-chain enol acetates [192,193] leads to chromones. 

The anions of esters such as ethyl 3-oxobutanoate and diethyl propanedioate can be alkylated with alkyl halides. These reactions are important for the synthesis of carboxylic acids and ketones and are similar in character to the alkylation of ketones discussed previously (Section 17-4A). The ester is converted by a strong base to the enolate anion, Equation 18-18, which then is alkylated in an SN2 reaction with the alkyl halide, Equation 18-19. Usually, C-alkylation predominates ... 

The second classical reaction mentioned above is the acetoacetic ester synthesis. this reaction, an ester of acetoacetic acid (3-oxobutanoic acid) such as ethyl acetoacetate is treated with base under thermodynamic control conditions and alkylated, as with the malonic ester synthesis. Reaction with sodium ethoxide in ethanol (since an ethyl ester is being used) generated the enolate and quenching with benzyl bromide led to 84. Saponification and decarboxylation (as above) gave a substituted ketone (85). Although the malonic ester synthesis and the acetoacetic ester synthesis are fundamentally similar, the different substrates lead to formation of either a highly substituted acid or a ketone. The reaction is not restricted to acetoacetate derivatives, and any p-keto-ester can be used (ethyl 3-oxopentanoate for example). ... 

The mechanism of the Claisen condensation begins with deprotonation of the ester by ethoxide to form the ester enolate ion (step 1). This step is unfavorable because of the large difference in acidity between the a-hydrogens of the ester (p T = 25) and ethanol (p/(a = 15.9). The small equilibrium concentration of enolate thus formed adds to the carbonyl group of another ester molecule (step 2) loss of ethoxide completes an addition-elimination sequence, giving ethyl 3-oxobutanoate (commonly described as a 3- or j8-ketoester) (step 3). 

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