Facile synthesis of α-substituted acrylate esters

Treatment of 5-monosubstituted Meldrum's acids with dimethylmethyleneimmonium iodide (Eschenmoser's iodide salt) in methanol gives α-substituted acrylate methyl esters in good yields. Easy access to 5-monosubstituted Meldrum's acids allowed us to synthesize a wide variety of α-substituted acrylate methyl esters. The reaction conditions are mild and tolerate many functional groups commonly used in organic synthesis; thus, this new method has potential as an alternative to conventional preparative methods for α-substituted acrylate esters.