O n e -S t e p P r e p a r a t i o n o f S y m m e t r i c a l 1 , 4 -D i k e t o n e s f r o m a -H a l o K e t o n e s Abstract: Eleven 1,4-diphenylbutane-1,4-diones have been prepared in one step from the corresponding a-halo acetophenones under the action of Zn-I 2 as a condensation agent with moderate to high yields. The mechanistic pathway of the reaction can be explained by the Wurtz-like self-condensation of a-halo ketones. Similarly, 3-chloropentane-2,4-dione gave 3,4-diacetylhexane-2,5-dione, a Wurtz-like condensation product.1,4-Diketones are important intermediates in the synthesis of five-membered carbocyclic 1 and heterocyclic 2 compounds, including the preparation of derivatives of terthiophene and other conjugated, five-membered heterocycles, which are being intensively investigated at present as monomers for electroconductive polymers. 3 Among the most convenient methods for the synthesis of symmetrical and asymmetrical 1,4-diketones, 4-17 the Michael-Stetter addition of aldehydes to a,b-unsaturated ketones, 8-12 as well as alkylation of stabilized alkaline metal enolates, 12-15 enamines 15,16 and tin enolates by a-halocarbonyl compounds should be mentioned.In this paper, we present a new and simple procedure for the generation of twelve symmetrical 1,4-diketones directly from the corresponding a-halo ketones. The reaction of a-halo ketones 1a-m with zinc dust in the presence of a small amount of I 2 at 65 °C gave the corresponding 1,4-diketones 2a-l, Wurtz-like condensation products, in moderate to high yields (Scheme 1, Table 1).
Scheme 1The synthesis of compound 2a and similar products by different methods has been reported, but in only one 18 was the Zn-Cu couple (10 mol equiv) used in the presence of NaI (10 mol equiv). The reaction was carried out at high temperatures (90 and 170 °C), and resulted in 32 and 40% yields, respectively. Moreover, 2f and 2i were formed at 70 and 170 °C only in 32 and 25% yields, respectively.In our method, zinc dust was used as a reagent in the presence of a small amount of iodine, while activated zinc dust (Zn-Cu/NaI) was used in the above method. 18 The reactions were performed at a lower temperature (65 °C), and resulted in higher yields of 2a (67%), 2f (98%) and 2i (32%) ( Table 1).In the presence of a small amount of I 2, the reactions of ahalo ketones 1a-m with zinc were completed at 65 °C in 16 hours. Very mild and almost neutral reaction conditions allowed us to obtain mostly good results by using different starting compounds containing halogen or methoxy functional groups. The structure of 1,4-diketones 2a-l was elucidated from spectral data (NMR, IR, GC-MS, elemental analysis).Some limitations of this procedure should also be mentioned. Moderate yields were obtained with electron-rich ketone (p-methoxy, 1i) and o-substituted ketones 1d and 1g. Reductive removal of the functional groups from asubstituted carbonyl compounds is commonly known and a concerted mechanism has been suggested for this process. 19 The mechanism can be adopted to o-substituted ke...