Structural Determination, DFT Calculation, and Formation Mechanism of Ethyl 2-Cyano-3-alkoxypent-2-enoates Synthesized via Ru-Mediated Coupling Reaction between α,β-Unsaturated Acetals and Cyanoacetate

Abstract

Abstract Ethyl 2-cyano-3-alkoxypent-2-enoates were synthesized in moderate yields via the coupling reaction between α,β-unsaturated acetals and cyanoacetate, catalyzed by [RuHCl(CO)(PPh3)3]. The E- and Z-isomers were separated and determined by X-ray crystallography for the first time. Structural distortion associated with steric hindrance around the tetrasubstituted alkene moiety was revealed: e.g., the C(carbonyl)–C(α)–C(β) angle expands to about 125°. Density functional theory calculation was performed, and the restricted B3LYP hybrid functional with the 6-31G(d,p) basis set was found to successfully elucidate the solid-state structure and conformation, as well as spectroscopic properties. A plausible formation mechanism was proposed, in which the Ru complex catalyzed the C=C bond migration of the α,β-unsaturated acetal to give the corresponding ketene acetal and assisted the subsequent condensation reaction with cyanoacetate to some extent.