Successful Baylis-Hillman reaction of acrylamide with aromatic aldehydes

Acrylamide and aromatic aldehydes were found to undergo the Baylis-Hillman reaction at ambient temperature in an aqueous medium in the presence of a stoichiometric amount of base catalyst, DABCO, to give the corresponding 3-hydroxy-2-methylenepropionamides in 61-99% yield. A faster competing, but reversible, non-Baylis-Hillman reaction was initially observed under the conditions to form N-acylhemiaminals, which later disappeared, as the desired Baylis-Hillman adduct was formed as the major product over an extended period of time (12-48 h). This represents the first demonstration of the Baylis-Hillman reaction of aldehydes with acrylamides, which were thought to be inert under atmospheric pressure and at ambient temperature.