Reaction of 2- and 3-furylmethanephosphonates with esters

2- and 3-furylmethanephosphonates are acylated with ethyl formate, diethyl oxalate, and ethyl trifluoroacetate in toluene in the presence of sodium foil to afford five phosphorylated derivatives of furylacetic aldehyde, furylpyruvic acid, and 1,1,1-trifluoro-1-(2-furyl)propan-2-one. In a chloroform solution these compounds exist in the equilibrium with their enolic forms. When treated with sodium ethylate they form sodium salts which were isolated and characterized by ¹H, ¹³C, and ³¹P NMR spectroscopy. It was shown that in DMSO solutions sodium salts of formyl and oxalyl derivatives of 2-furylmethanephosphonate exist as mixtures of the carbanion and enolate forms. In the first case the carbanion form is predominant, while in the second one the enolate forms prevail. Sodium salt of formylated 3-furylmetanephosphonate exists only in the carbanion form, while the salt of 3-furylpyruvate is enolate. The alkylation of these salts with iodomethane proceeds at the carbon atom as well as at the oxygen one. First reaction pathway is often preferred.