Diethyl phenylmalonate is an aromatic malonic ester used in the synthesis of moderate to long lasting barbiturates such as phenobarbital.[1]
Chemical synthesis
Unlike other malonic esters that are derived via malonic ester synthesis, diethyl phenylmalonate is typically indirectly derived via a Claisen condensation with diethyl oxalate and ethyl phenylacetate followed by decarbonylation.[2] This indirect method is often used because aryl halides are relatively weaker electrophiles than alkyl halides and thus poorly alkylate diethyl malonate.[3] Methods using Caesium carbonate and copper(I) iodide have been developed to overcome this difficulty however.[4]
References
- ^ Wollweber, Hartmund (2000). “Hypnotics”. Ullmann’s Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry: 11. doi:10.1002/14356007.a13_533. ISBN 3527306730.
- ^ Meyer, G. M.; Levene, P. A. (1936). “Diethyl phenylmalonate”. Organic Syntheses. 16: 33. doi:10.15227/orgsyn.016.0033.
- ^ Furniss, Brian; Hannaford, Antony; Smith, Peter; Tatchell, Austin (1996). Vogel’s Textbook of Practical Organic Chemistry 5th Ed. London: Longman Science & Technical. pp. 1174–1179. ISBN 9780582462366.
- ^ Hennessy, Edward J.; Buchwald, Stephen L. (2002). “A General and Mild Copper-Catalyzed Arylation of Diethyl Malonate”. Organic Letters. 4 (2): 269–272. doi:10.1021/ol017038g. PMID 11796067.