Copper-Catalyzed Decarboxylation of Aromatic Carboxylic Acids: En Route to Milder Reaction Conditions

The copper-catalyzed decarboxylation of carboxylic aromatic acids has been advantageously achieved by using aliphatic amines like tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA) or hexamethylenetetraamine (HMTA) as ligands instead of the aromatic heterocyclic amines (quinoline, phenanthroline) used until now. The improvement is significant since the reaction can be performed at a lower temperature (ca. 50 °C less) and the reaction time is clearly shorter (15 min instead of 12 to 24 h).