Preparation of mono-substituted malonic acid half oxyesters (SMAHOs)

The use of mono-substituted malonic acid half oxyesters (SMAHOs) has been hampered by the sporadic references describing their preparation. An evaluation of different approaches has been achieved, allowing to define the best strategies to introduce diversity on both the malonic position and the ester function. A classical alkylation step of a malonate by an alkyl halide followed by a monosaponification gave access to reagents bearing different substituents at the malonic position, including functionalized derivatives. On the other hand, the development of a monoesterification step of a substituted malonic acid derivative proved to be the best entry for diversity at the ester function, rather than the use of an intermediate Meldrum acid. Both these transformations are characterized by their simplicity and efficiency, allowing a straightforward access to SMAHOs from cheap starting materials.

The evaluation of chemoselectivity in multicomponent domino Knoevenagel/Diels-Alder reaction: A DFT study

Herein, the chemoselectivity of the multicomponent domino Knoevenagel/Diels-Alder reaction is investigated in terms of theoretical calculations. Structures of reagents, transition states, intermediates and products are optimized at the M062X/6-31+G(d,p) level of theory. The reaction mechanism involves processes of bond rotation, isomerization, asymmetric cycloaddition, acid-base and nucleophile-electrophile competitions, which are studied to deliver a clear information of the mechanism in terms of chemoselectivity considerations. Accordingly, the chemoselectivity of the reaction is controlled by the releasing acetone during the decomposition of Meldrum acid in the presence of methanol and L-proline (DG# = 61.45 kcal mol-1). Comparing calculated results (gas and solvent phase) with the experimental ones showed that utilizing these reagents are the kinetical favorite path for the chemoselective multicomponent cascade Knoevenagel/Diels-Alder reaction to produce the predominant product (>95 %). The results suggest that the creation of cis-spiro cyclohexanone is the predominant chemoselective product under kinetic control of the desired enone.