Facile stereoselective synthesis of (E)- and (Z)-α-substituted cinnamates: stereospecific dehydration reaction with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDC) and copper(II) chloride

A highly stereoselective method for the synthesis of (E)- and (Z)-α-substituted cinnamates in good yield has been achieved by dehydration reaction of anti- and syn-α-substituted-β-hydroxyphenylpropiolate using EDC. This facile method has been used to synthesize various (E)- and (Z)-α-substituted cinnamates and (E)- and (Z)-α-alkylidene-γ-butyrolactones. The reaction mechanism of this highly stereospecific dehydration using EDC can be elucidated by the ω-dimethylamino group of EDC, which is believed to facilitate the deprotonation step.