Categories: C=C Bond Formation >
Synthesis of substituted active methylenes
Name Reactions
Recent Literature

Triphenylphosphine is an efficient catalyst for a mild, solvent-free
Knoevenagel condensation of aldehydes with ethyl cyanoacetate or
malononitrile to afford olefins in excellent yields with (E)-geometry.
This method, which is even improved by microwave irradiation, is applicable
for a wide range of aldehydes.
J. S. Yadav, B. S. S. Reddy, A. K. Basak, B. Visali, A. V. Narsaiah, K.
Nagaiah, Eur. J. Org. Chem., 2004, 546-551.

A mild, palladium-catalyzed intramolecular oxidative alkylation of various ζ-alkenyl β-diketones
and ζ-alkenyl β-keto
esters in the presence of CuCl2 at room temperature formed the
corresponding 2-cyclohexenones in high yield.
T. Pei, X. Wang, R. A. Widenhoefer, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2003, 125, 648-649.

An efficient and regioselective Yb(OTf)3-promoted
palladium-catalyzed oxidative cyclization of γ-heteroalkenyl β-keto amides
has been developed. Under simple aerobic condition, various six-, seven-,
and eight-membered-ring N- and O-heterocycles were obtained in excellent yield.
K.-T. Yip, J.-H. Li, O.-Y. Lee, D. Yang, Org. Lett.,
2005, 7, 5717-5719.

