Chemistry Letters

A novel route to α, β-unsaturated esters via a Reformatsky-type reaction using sodium telluride

H Suzuki, M Inouye

Index: Suzuki, Hitomi; Inouye, Masahiko Chemistry Letters, 1986 , p. 403 - 406

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Citation Number: 16

Abstract

Sodium telluride, prepared by heating tellurium and sodium hydride in a 1: 2 molar ratio in dry N, N-dimethylformamide, readily debrominates a bromoacetic ester at low temperatures to generate an enolate anion, which undergoes a Reformatsky-type reaction with various non-enolizable aldehydes to give the corresponding α, β-unsaturated esters in good to moderate yields. Ketones remain almost unaffected under the same conditions.