Cyanoacetates

The conditions for the Knoevenagel synthesis of 2-cyanoacrylates containing double and triple bonds in the alkoxycarbonyl group have been studied. It was found that the esters are formed in 10–70 % yields by the condensation of the respective cyanoacetates with formaldehyde in the 1∶1 ratio in the presence of piperidine, followed by the pyrolysis of the oligomers formedin vacuo at 170–200 °C in the presence ofpara-toluenesulfonic acid.

The conditions for the Knoevenagel synthesis of 2-cyanoacrylates containing double and triple bonds in the alkoxycarbonyl group have been studied. It was found that the esters are formed in 10–70 % yields by the condensation of the respective cyanoacetates with formaldehyde in the 1∶1 ratio in the presence of piperidine, followed by the pyrolysis of the oligomers formedin vacuo at 170–200 °C in the presence ofpara-toluenesulfonic acid.

Part 1. Synthesis and Properties

Twenty-six alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, and substituted alkyl 2-cyanoacrylates were synthesized in the pure state. The purity was determined by gas-liquid chromatography, and a correlation between the log retention time and the number of carbons in the compounds within the homologous series was deduced. Their physical properties such as parachor and molar refraction were determined and the data were fitted to a linear relation to the number of carbons present in the ester within a homologous series of cyanoacrylates.