Preparation of Acceptor-Substituted Diazomethanes

Bis-acceptor-substituted diazomethanes are most conveniently prepared by diazo group transfer to CH acidic compounds either with sulfonyl azides under basic conditions [949,950] or with l-alkyl-2-azidopyridinium salts [951] under neutral or acidic conditions [952-954]. Diazo group transfer with both types of reagents usually proceeds in high yield with malonic acid derivatives, 3-keto esters and amides, 1,3-diketones, or p, y-unsaturated carbonyl compounds [955,956]. Cyano-, sulfonyl, or nitrodiazomethanes, which can be unstable or sensitive to bases, can often only be prepared with 2-azidopyridinium salts, which accomplish diazo group transfer under neutral or slightly acidic reaction conditions. Other problematic substrates include amides of the type Z-CHj-CONHR and P-imino esters or the tautomeric 3-amino-2-propenoic esters, which upon diazo group transfer cyclize to 1,2,3-triazoles [957-959]. 

When 2-alkyl-3-keto esters or 2-aryl-3-keto esters are treated with sulfonyl azides under basic conditions, nucleophilic deacylation occurs to yield 2-alkyl/aryl-2-diazo esters [960-963]. Nucleophilic deacylation can also be used to convert acceptor-substituted diazoketones into the corresponding acceptor-substituted diazomethanes [964,965]. In all these deacylation reactions it is the most electrophilic carbonyl group which is attacked by the nucleophile and cleaved off. 

Diazo esters can also be prepared from glycine esters by treatment with nitrous acid [966] or with alkyl nitrites. Further methods include the oxidation of hydrazones, oximes (Forster reaction), and semicarbazones, the base-induced 

Acceptor-monosubstituted diazomethanes can be further converted into other types of diazo compound. C-Acylation of diazoacetic esters generally requires very reactive acylating agents, such as acid chlorides [969,970] or bromides [971]. C-Alkylations of acyldiazomethanes are best accomplished by metallation followed by treatment with a carbon electrophile [972-977], C-alkylation can also occur without any base if sufficiently electrophilic aldehydes or ketones are used [973,978 -982] or if the alkylation proceeds intramolecularly [983]. 

Acceptor-substituted diazomethanes can be explosive, and low-molecular-weight diazo compounds, in particular, should be handled with care. Ethyl diazoacetate has a half-life of 109h at 100°C in inert solvents [984, p 425], but traces of acid or catalytically active salts can dramatically accelerate the thermal decomposition. Monoacyldiazomethanes are thermally less stable than diazoacetates [985], whereas bis-acceptor-substituted diazomethanes generally have high thermal and chemical stability. 

---