277331-35-8

Upstream product

• 150949-66-9 (+)-(3R,4R)-cis-1-benzyl-3-benzyloxy-4-formyl-2-azetidinone 
• 19810-31-2 Benzyloxyacetyl chloride 
• 143159-97-1 (+)-(3R,4S)-cis-1-benzyl-3-benzyloxy-4-[(S)-2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxolan-4-yl]-2-azetidinone 
• 277331-22-3 (+)-(3R,4S)-cis-1-benzyl-3-benzyloxy-4-[(S)-1',2'-dihydroxyethyl]-2-azetidinone 
• 100-46-9 benzylamine 

Relevant academic research and scientific papers

Base-promoted isomerization of cis-4-formyl-2-azetidinones: Chemoselective C4-epimerization vs rearrangement to cyclic enaminones

Two simple, efficient, and complementary methods for the regiospecific C4-epimerization of cis-4-formyl-2-azetidinones 1-3 are described. The first method uses 40% aqueous dimethylamine as reagent in heterogeneous medium with benzene at room temperature, in the presence of benzyltributylammonium bromide (3-4 mol %) as the phase-transfer catalyst. This transformation tolerates alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, and alkoxy substituents at the C3 of the 2-azetidinone ring. However, limitations of this isomerization are as follows: (i) only N-(p-methoxyphenyl)-β-lactams can be used, and (ii) transformation is less compatible with heteroatomic substituents bonded to the C3 position of the 2-azetidinone ring. A highly general solution to these problems relies on the use of sodium carbonate as the isomerization reagent in different solvents. We also describe a novel base-promoted rearrangement of the β-lactam ring to cyclic enaminones 6 and 21, involving an E1cB-elimination reaction in cis-4-formyl-2-azetidinones.