Negative ions in organic mass spectrometry. II—Negative ion mass spectra of simple thio and dithio esters.

The 70 eV negative ion mass spectra of some simple aromatic and aliphatic thio and dithio esters are discussed. A characteristic fragmentation process, a rearrangement analogous to the nitro-nitrite conversion of aromatic nitro compounds, is observed for aromatic thio esters.     

N-heterocyclic carbene catalysed aerobic oxidation of aromatic aldehydes to aryl esters using boronic acids

The organocatalytic behavior of N-heterocyclic carbenes in the aerobic oxidation of aromatic aldehydes to esters with boronic acids has been explored. This transition metal-free protocol allows access to a wide variety of aromatic esters in good to excellent yields under mild reaction conditions.     

Facile preparation of aromatic esters from aromatic bromides with ethyl formate or DMF and molecular iodine via aryllithium

Various aromatic bromides were treated with n-BuLi and subsequently with ethyl formate, followed by the reaction with ethanol and molecular iodine in the presence of K₂CO₃ to provide the corresponding aromatic ethyl esters in good yields. Moreover, aromatic bromides could be transformed into the corresponding aromatic methyl esters in good yields by the treatment with n-BuLi and subsequently with DMF, followed by the reaction with methanol, molecular iodine, and K₂CO₃. Some aromatics could be also converted into the corresponding aromatic esters in good yields by the treatment with n-BuLi, and subsequently with ethyl formate or DMF, followed by the reaction with molecular iodine and K₂CO₃. The present reactions offer a novel route for the transition-metal-free, carbon-monoxide-free, and therefore environmentally benign one-pot conversion of aromatic bromides and aromatics into aromatic esters.     

Lewis acid-catalyzed one-pot sequential reaction for the synthesis of α-halogenated β-keto esters

A Lewis acid-catalyzed one-pot sequential transformation of β-keto esters, aromatic aldehydes, and NCS/NBS was reported. The reaction proceeds by way of Knoevenagel condensation/Nazarov cyclization/halogenation to give α-chloro- and α-bromo-β-keto esters in moderate yields with high diastereoselectivities. However, several aromatic aldehydes with electron-withdrawing substituents afforded unexpected α,β′-dichloro-β-keto esters in good to high yields.     

Alkoholyse aromatischer Carbonsäureester

The alcoholysis of various esters of aromatic carboxylic esters with octadecanol in the presence of lead stearate was investigated by chromatographic analysis of the reaction mixtures. The reactivity of the esters was found to be strongly affected by the substitution pattern of the aromatic nucleus as well as by the structure of the alkoxy group. Electron donating substituents in a suitable position lead to a remarkable increase in reactivity compared to the unsubstituted alkyl esters.

Herrn Prof. Dr.K. Schlögl zum 60. Geburtstag gewidmet.     

The first ammonium aromatic diselenoates: stable heavy congeners of aromatic carboxylic acid salts

Ammonium aromatic diselenoates were synthesized by reacting aromatic diselenoic acid 2-(trimethylsilyl)ethyl esters derived from aluminum 2-(trimethylsilyl)ethyl selenolate with aromatic selenoic acid O-methyl esters with ammonium fluorides. The results of molecular structure analysis and NMR studies of ammonium salts supported the double-bond character between the carbon atom and selenium atoms.     

Vinylidene Homologation of Boronic Esters and its Application to the Synthesis of the Proposed Structure of Machillene

Alkenyl boronic esters are important reagents in organic synthesis. Herein, we report that these valuable products can be accessed by the homologation of boronic esters with lithiated epoxysilanes. Aliphatic and electron‐rich aromatic boronic esters provided vinylidene boronic esters in moderate to high yields, while electron‐deficient aromatic and vinyl boronic esters were found to give the corresponding vinyl silane products. Through DFT calculations, this divergence in mechanistic pathway has been rationalized by considering the stabilization of negative charge in the C?Si and C?B bond breaking transition states. This vinylidene homologation was used in a short six‐step stereoselective synthesis of the proposed structure of machillene, however, synthetic and reported data were found to be inconsistent.     

Dynamic kinetic resolution catalyzed by Ir axially chiral phosphine catalyst: asymmetric synthesis of anti aromatic beta-hydroxy-alpha-amino acid esters

The anti selective hydrogenation of alpha-amino-beta-keto esters via dynamic kinetic resolution was achieved for the first time by using the iridium-MeOBIPHEP catalyst in asymmetric synthesis of anti aromatic beta-hydroxy-alpha-amino acid esters with excellent diastereo- and enantioslectivities. Acetic acid as a solvent and sodium acetate as an additive affected dramatically the yield and the enantioselectivity, respectively. The product anti aromatic beta-hydroxy-alpha-amino acid esters are useful for synthesis of pharmaceuticals and natural products.     

An expedient esterification of aromatic carboxylic acids using sodium bromate and sodium hydrogen sulfite

Treatment of aromatic carboxylic acids and substituted toluenes with a mixture of sodium bromate and sodium hydrogen sulfite in a two-phase system gave the corresponding esters in good yield. The intermediate α-brominated toluene was formed by the in situ generated hypobromous acid. The α-bromotoluene underwent an intermolecular nucleophilic substitution reaction with aromatic carboxylic acids present in the reaction mixture to afford the corresponding esters.     

Toluates: unexpectedly versatile reagents

The mechanism of the monoelectronic reduction of aromatic esters has been investigated. The unexpected synthetic utility of the toluate moiety in the deoxygenation of alcohols and the allylation of ketones is also reported. Finally, the use of aromatic esters as robust, though easily removable, protecting groups is depicted.     

An efficient method for the preparation of tertiary esters by palladium-catalyzed alkoxycarbonylation of aryl bromides

The palladium-catalyzed alkoxycarbonylation of aryl bromides is described for the efficient preparation of tertiary esters. The protocol proved compatible with a wide variety of functionalized (hetero)aromatic bromides, as well as several different sterically hindered tertiary alcohols, affording the alkoxycarbonylated products in high yields. Finally, the formation of aromatic trityl esters is discussed.     

The chemistry of acylals. 3. Cyanohydrin esters from acylals with cyanide reagents

[reaction: see text] When treated with KCN in DMSO at room temperature, acylals from aliphatic aldehydes gave the corresponding cyanohydrin esters in good to excellent yields. Acylals from aromatic aldehydes were less reactive and gave several byproducts in addition to fair yields of cyanohydrin under the same conditions. Trimethylsilyl cyanide mixed with titanium(IV) chloride afforded cyanohydrin esters in good to excellent yields from both aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes.     

Catalyzed Addition of Aldehydes to Activated Double Bonds—A New Synthetic Approach

In the presence of cyanide ions as catalyst, aromatic and heterocyclic aldehydes can be smoothly added to α,β-unsaturated ketones, esters, and nitriles in aprotic solvents to form γ-diketones, 4-oxo carboxylic esters, and 4-oxo nitriles. Thiazolium salts in the presence of bases are also suitable catalysts; they permit not only addition of aromatic and heterocyclic aldehydes but also the addition of aliphatic aldehydes.     

Catalytic, highly enantioselective Friedel-Crafts reactions of aromatic and heteroaromatic compounds to trifluoropyruvate. A simple approach for the formation of optically active aromatic and heteroaromatic hydroxy trifluoromethyl esters.

A new catalytic enantioselective synthetic method for the formation of optically active aromatic and heteroaromatic hydroxy-trifluoromethyl ethyl esters is presented. This catalytic enantioselective Friedel-Crafts reaction of trifluoromethyl pyruvate with aromatic and heteroaromatic compounds is catalyzed by a chiral bisoxazoline copper(II) complex and proceeds in good yield and with high enantiomeric excess. For a series of substituted indoles, the corresponding 3-substituted hydroxy-trifluoromethyl ethyl esters are formed in up to 93% yield and 94% ee. Pyrrole and 2-substituted pyrroles also react with trifluoromethyl pyruvate in a highly enantioselective aromatic electrophilic reaction and up to 93% ee and good yields are obtained. Furanes and thiophenes give the corresponding 2-hydroxy-trifluoromethyl ethyl esters in high enantiomeric excess; however, the yields of the products are only moderate. Various types of aromatic compounds react in this catalytic reaction with trifluoromethyl pyruvate to give the aromatic electrophilic addition product in good yield. To obtain high enantiomeric excess (> 80% ee) it is necessary that aromatic amines are protected with sterically demanding protecting groups such as benzyl or allyl. This prevents coordination of the amine nitrogen atom to the catalyst, as aromatic amines having a N,N-dimethyl group probably coordinate to the catalyst, leading to a significant reduction of the enantioselective properties of the catalyst. On the basis of the experimental results and the absolute configuration of the formed chiral center, the mechanism for the catalytic enantioselective Friedel-Crafts reaction is discussed.     

Synthesis of aromatic ketones by a transition metal-catalyzed tandem sequence

Both simple Ag(I) and Au(I) are effective catalysts for a tandem [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement/formal Myers-Saito cyclization of propargyl esters to form aromatic ketones. A mechanism in which the metal catalyzes both of these processes through alkyne activation is proposed. By using this method a wide range of aromatic structures including naphthyl, anthracenyl and indole ketones are available from readily available propargyl esters.     

Mild and nonracemizing conditions for Ullmann-type diaryl ether formation between aryl iodides and tyrosine derivatives

CuI/N,N-dimethylglycine-catalyzed coupling reaction of L-tyrosine derivatives and L-phenylalanine-derived iodides in the presence of Cs2CO3 works at 90 degrees C to provide the corresponding diaryl ether. Partial racemization occurs when N-Boc- and N-Cbz-protected aromatic amino esters are used, while N-trityl- and N,N-dibenzyl-protected aromatic amino esters give rise to coupling products without loss of optical purity. Little racemization is also observed in cases of N-Boc- and N-Cbz-protected aromatic amino acids as substrates. But their reaction yields are moderate. On the basis of these studies, shorter protocols for assembling (S,S)-isodityrosine and K-13 are developed.     

Thermogravimetry of dihydroxyviolanthrone esters

Dihydroxyviolanthrone esters of straight chain alkanoic acids contain a thermally stable aromatic system connected by an ester linkage to an aliphatic hydrocarbon moiety. These esters provide excellent models for studying the different pyrolysis behavior of aliphatic and aromatic structures. Using dynamic and isothermal thermogravimetry, the effect of atmosphere on volatilization, the variation of stability with chain length of the alkanoic acid, and the volatilization kinetics have been studied.     

Pd(II)-catalyzed decarboxylative allylation and Heck-coupling of arene carboxylates with allylic halides and esters

This work demonstrates an alternative method to prepare allylated arenes and aryl-substituted allylic esters via catalytic decarboxylative C-C bond formation using aromatic carboxylic acids and allylic halides and esters.     

New three-component reaction: novel formation of a seven-membered ring by the unexpected reaction at the gamma-position of the beta-keto ester

[reaction: see text] The novel three-component reaction of aromatic aldehydes, ethylenediamine, and beta-keto esters is described. In this reaction, beta-keto esters react at the gamma-position which is generally unreactive to produce the seven-membered ring compounds. Products have secondary amines and beta-enamino esters, which can serve in further functionalizations to produce molecular diversity.     

Modification of catalysts for propylene polymerization: Alcohols and lewis bases

A series of compounds were examined as modifiers for the high activity supported catalyst TiCl₄/MgCl₂–AlEt₃ for isospecific propylene polymerization. The list included two aromatic acid esters, 21 various Lewis bases, and 12 alcohols. A convenient graphic method is described for comparing the performance of different modifiers by plotting experimental results in coordinates “relative activity-isotactic index” and a kinetic rationale for this evaluation is presented. Aromatic acid esters exhibit much better performance than the bulk of Lewis bases but some sterically demanding aromatic alcohols show behavior show similar to that of the esters.