Equilibrium between a vinylogous ylide and a phosphonium dienolate zwitterion: vinylogous Wittig olefination versus vinylogous aldol-type reaction

This paper describes the equilibrium established between a phosphonium dienolate zwitterion and a vinylogous phosphorus ylide, and their reactions with aldehydes. The reactions between ethyl 2-methyl-2,3-butadienoate and various aldehydes occur through either a phosphonium dienolate or a vinylogous ylide intermediate, depending on the presence/absence of a Lewis acid and the nature of the phosphine. We observed a rare vinylogous Wittig olefination from the reaction between ethyl 2-methyl-2,3-butadienoate and an electron-deficient aromatic aldehyde in the presence of a stoichiometric amount of an electron-deficient triarylphosphine and a catalytic amount of a Lewis acid (e.g., BF3·Et2O). On the other hand, the use of triphenylphosphine, in the absence of a Lewis acid, facilitated vinylogous aldol addition, accompanied by a rare 1,2-aryl phosphorus-to-carbon migration.