Diazoaldehyde Chemistry. Part 1. Transdiazotization of Acylacetaldehydes in Neutral-to-Acidic Medium. A Direct Approach to the Synthesis of α-Diazo-β-oxoaldehydes

First ever non-deformylating transdiazotization of acylacetaldehydes was achieved: the reactions of 2-azido-l-ethylpyridinium tetrafluoroborate ( 4 ) with acylacetaldehydes 3 proceeded partially without deformylation to yield 16 new α-diazo-β-oxoaldehydes 1 along with diazomethyl ketones 2 , especially in the presence of NaOAc (Scheme 1, Tables 1 and 2). The product distribution was substituent-dependent and could be correlated quantitatively. This new diazotization reaction appears as an alternative, direct, and more general method for the synthesis of these diazooxoaldehydes. α-Oxocycloalkanecarbaldehydes 5 gave only traces (if any) of α-diazocycloalkanones 7 , and rearrangement products 6 were isolated (Scheme 2). Mechanisms of the reactions are discussed (Schemes 4 and 5).