Synthesis of β‐monosubstituted α,β‐unsaturated amides with Z‐selectivity using diphenylphosphonoacetamides

The utility of diphenylphosphonoacetamides (PhO)₂P(O)CH₂CONRR′] as Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons reagents was examined with five different patterns of substitution upon the amide nitrogen atom ( 2a : R, R′ = CH₂Ph; 2b : R = CH₂Ph, R′ = H; 2c : R = Me, R′ = OMe; 2d : R, R′ = Ph; 2e : R, R′ = (CH₂)₄). The reaction of 2a was found to be Z‐selective for aromatic aldehydes with selectivities up to 95:5. Reagent 2b led to reasonable selectivity for both benzaldehyde (85:15) and 3‐phenylpropionaldehyde (87:13), while 2c was somewhat effective for only the latter alkyl aldehyde (83:17). Compounds 2d and 2e exhibited slightly lower selectivities compared with 2a . © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 15:515–523, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/hc.20054