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Updated: May 27, 2026

Facile Preparation of (2Z,4E)-Dienamides by the Olefination of Electron-deficient Alkenes with Allyl Acetate
Published on: June 21, 2017
Base-mediated stereospecific synthesis of aryloxy and amino substituted ethyl acrylates
M Shahjahan Kabir1, Ojas A Namjoshi, Ranjit Verma
1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201, United States. capncook@uwm.edu
Abstract:
The stereospecific synthesis of aryloxy and amino substituted E- and Z-ethyl-3-acrylates is of interest because of their potential in the polymer industry and in medicinal chemistry. During work on a copper-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction of ethyl (E)- and (Z)-3-iodoacrylates with phenols and N-heterocycles, we discovered a very simple (nonmetallic) method for the stereospecific synthesis of aryloxy and amino substituted acrylates. To study this long-standing problem on the stereoselectivity of aryloxy and amino substituted acrylates, a series of O- and N-substituted nucleophiles was allowed to react with ethyl (E)- and (Z)-3-iodoacrylates. Screening of different bases indicated that DABCO (1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane) afforded successful conversion of ethyl (E)- and (Z)-3-iodoacrylates into aryloxy and amino substituted ethyl acrylates in a stereospecific manner. Herein are the details of this DABCO-mediated stereospecific synthesis of aryloxy and amino substituted E- or Z-acrylates.
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