This paper describes the utility of mild metal hydroxides for the catalytic chemo-,
regio-, and diastereoselective transformation of cyclododecanone into β-keto ethers
through a cascade aldol/oxo-Michael reaction. The choice of acrylonitrile as a co-reactant
is critical in achieving chain extension in the C–C bond-formation reaction. Metal
hydroxides are effective catalysts for delivering a single product in a high yield
(≤86%), and with excellent diastereoselectivity (≤95:5) under solvent-free conditions.
Key words
cascade reaction - aldol reaction - oxo-Michael reaction - solvent-free - cyclododecanone
- acrylonitrile