Reactions of enols of amides with diazomethane

The reaction of 10 carboxamides activated by two beta-electron-withdrawing groups, which mostly exist completely or partially in their enol forms, with diazomethane was investigated. The main outcome is the diversity of reactions observed. With the most acidic enols 3-7, activated by at least one trifluoroethoxycarbonyl group or a cyano group, O-methylation or O,N-dimethylation takes place. With beta-dimethoxycarbonyl-activated systems 5 and 8, the C-methylation product of the amide form was one of the products. With a Meldrum's acid anilide enol 2, a cleavage took place leading to the C-alkylated imine having a CH(CO2Me)(2) group. Exchange of one 2,2,2-trifluoroethoxycarbonyl by a methoxycarbonyl in the C,N-dimethylation product of Me2CHNHC(OH) = C(CO2CH2CF3)(2) 4 took place. The 2-anilido-1,3-cyclopentanedione 10 was methylated on a ring carbonyl while the enol of the 1,3-indanedione analogue 11 reacted with three diazomethane molecules and underwent a ring expansion and O-methylation to the 3-anilido-1,4-dimethoxynaphthalene. It is suggested that the reaction initiates by protonation of the diazomethane by the enol and an approximate qualitative relationship exists between the acidity of the enol and K-enol and the regioselectivity of the reaction.