Reactions of β-dicarbonyl compounds with acyl cyanides catalyzed or promoted by metal centres in the homogeneous phase

Abstract

The C–C bond-forming reaction between β-dicarbonyl compounds and acyl cyanides is catalyzed by nickel acetylacetonate or promoted by tin tetrachloride. Thus, β-diketones react with acyl cyanides in the presence of catalytic amounts of [Ni(acac)₂] to give β-enamino diketones 3. β-Enamino keto esters 8 or β-enamino diesters 9 are obtained in the reactions of methyl acetoacetate or methyl malonate with acyl cyanides in the presence of stoichiometric amounts of SnCl₄. The reactions of acyl cyanides with methyl malonate also afford furanone derivatives 10, whose structure has been determined, in one case, by a single-crystal X-ray analysis. β-Keto amides react with acyl cyanides to give pyrrolidine derivatives 13 both under catalytic conditions and stoichiometric conditions where an equimolar equivalent of promoter was used.