Ring-Chain Tautomerism in 2-(2,2-Dicyano-1-methylethenyl)benzoic Acid and Related Compounds.
作者:Per Kolsaker、Joe Arukwe、József Barcóczy、Are Wiberg、Anne Kristine Fagerli、Ole Hammerich、Inger Søtofte、Bengt Långström
DOI:10.3891/acta.chem.scand.52-0490
日期:——
Ring-chain tautomerism with slow interconversion (compared with the NMR timescale) was observed in solutions of 2-(2,2-dicyano-1-methylethenyl)benzoic acid (3e), obtained by Knoevenagel condensation of 2-acetylbenzoic acid with malononitrile, forming the ring tautomer 3-dicyanomethyl-3-methylphthalide (4e) in admixture with 3e. Similar condensations of 2-formylbenzoic acid with methyl cyanoacetate or malononitrile give 2-(2-cyano-2-methoxycarbonyl-ethenyl)benzoic acid (3b) and 2-(2,2-dicyanoethenyl)benzoic acid (3d), respectively, which in solution also exhibit the same tautomerism to give the ring tautomers, 3-(cyanomethoxycarbonylmethyl)phthalide (4d) and 3-(dicyanomethyl)phthalide (4d), respectively. Condensation of 2-formylbenzoic acid with dimethyl malonate gave only the ring compound, 3-(dimethoxycarbonylmethyl)phthalide (4a). Attempts to synthezise 2-(2-cyano-2-methoxycarbonyl-1-methylethenyl)benzoic acid (3c) by methylation of the trimethyl silylester of 3b with diazomethane led to the ring form of 3c, viz. 3-cyanomethoxycarbonylmethyl-3-methylphthalide (4c) as an equimolar mixture of two diastereomers. No tautomerism was observed when the benzene ring was replaced by a thiophene ring (7a, 7b and 8) or an aliphatic double bond (9). Solid state spectra (IR and NMR) indicated that all compounds carrying two cyano groups at the double bond, except the aliphatic compound 9, were in the open-chain form, while all the others were in the ring form. Equilibrium studies for compound (3e reversible arrow 4e) indicated increased stability for the chain form 4e with increasing solvent polarity. Determination of the free energy change, Delta G degrees, and of the free energy of activation, Delta G(double dagger), for the tautomerization in deuteriochloroform (using H-1 NMR spectroscopy) indicated that, in this solvent, a concerted process from the starting material 3e to the anion of 4e is taking place. It is also postulated that a similar reaction path is followed in the other solvents used in this investigation, all belonging to the solvent class 'protophobic dipolar aprotic solvents'.