Electroorganic Chemistry. 124. Electroreductive Intramolecular Coupling of α-(ω-Bromoalkyl) β-Keto Esters

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/jo00304a014

Intramolecular coupling occurs when cyclic α-(bromomethyl) β-keto esters are electrochemically reduced in the presence of trimethylsilyl chloride and one-carbon ring-enlarged products are obtained in reasonable yields.Electroreduction of α-(γ-bromopropyl) β-keto esters also affords the corresponding five-membered cyclized products and/or the corresponding ring-opened compounds.The ease of ring opening of the cyclized products is highly influenced by their stereoconfiguration.Electroreduction of α-(β-bromoethyl) β-keto ester gives the product formed by the reductive elimination of the bromoethyl group whereas α-(δ-bromobutyl) β-keto ester yields the product of the reductive elimination of bromine.This electroreductive intramolecular coupling is initiated by the reduction of the carbon-bromine bond and proceeds through a carbanion intermediate.