Novel Synthesis of α-Substituted Acrylic Acids

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/jo00334a008

A facile three-step procedure has been developed for the synthesis of α-substituted acrylic acids.In the first step, a carboxylic acid having no α-substituents is condensed with 2-amino-2-methylpropanol (AMP) to form the corresponding oxazoline.The oxazoline reacts readily with paraformaldehyde to give an intermediate mixture of mono- and dimethylol derivatives which upon heating forms the α-methylene derivatives of the oxazoline.The latter, upon acid hydrolysis, yields the α-substituted acrylic acid generally in an overall yield of above 70percent and the acids are usually at least 95percent pure.