Abstract
Methyl (Z)‐2‐acetylamino‐3‐dimethylaminopropenoate (3) was prepared from N‐acetylglycine (1), which was converted with N,N‐dimethylformamide and phosphorus oxychloride into 4‐dimethylaminomethylene‐2‐methyl‐5(4__H__)‐oxazolone (2), followed by treatment with methanol in the presence of potassium carbonate, into 3. The compound 3 was shown to be a versatile reagent in the synthesis of various heterocyclic systems. With N‐nucleophiles, such as heterocyclic amines 4, either methyl 2‐acetylamino‐3‐heteroarylaminopropenoates 5 or fused pyrimidinoncs 6 were formed, dependent on the reaction conditions and/or heterocyclic substituents: C‐nuclcophiles with an active or potentially active methylene group, such as 1,3‐dicarbonyl compounds 7, 8 and 9, substituted phenols 10a,b, naphthols 11, 12a‐c, and substituted coumarin 13a, afforded substituted pyranones 20 and 22, and fused pyranones 21, 23–26. The nitrogen containing heterocycles 14–19 produced pyranoazines 27–31 and pyranoazole 32. In all of these systems the acetylamino group is attached at position 3 of the newly formed pyranone ring. The orientation around the double bond for methyl (Z)‐2‐(N‐methyl‐N‐trifluo‐roacetyl)‐3‐dimethylaminopropenoate (36) was established by X‐ray analysis.