Carbon–oxygen bond insertion in the reaction of dialkoxycarbenes with anhydrides

Abstract
Dimethoxycarbene (1a) and methoxy(2,2,2‐trifluoroethoxy)‐carbene (1b) were generated in benzene solution by thermolysis of the corresponding 2,2‐dialkoxyoxadiazolines 7. The carbenes were trapped by intermolecular reaction with a variety of cyclic anhydrides 8. The products 9 are formally the result of carbene insertion into the bond between the carbonyl carbon and the ring oxygen atoms. The results of a competition between dimethylmaleic and dichloromaleic anhydrides for dimethoxycarbene suggests that this reaction proceeds by nucleophilic attack of dialkoxycarbene onto the carbonyl carbon atom of the anhydride.

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