Synthesis of Vinyl Ethers Containing Functional Groups and Heteroatoms

The paper gives a brief analysis of the chief methods for synthesising vinyl ethers containing functional groups and heteroatoms. Published information on the Favorskii–Shostakovskii reaction – the direct vinylation of hydroxylated compounds (alkoxyalkanols, glycols, polyhydric alcohols) – is surveyed, the mechanism of the reaction is discussed, and its application considered to the vinylation of nitrogen-containing alcohols (amino-alcohols and amino- and nitro-phenols), and to alkylthio-alcohols, silicon-containing alcohols, halogenated alcohols, and halogenated phenols. The elimination of hydrogen halides from halogenated ethers and the reaction of vinyl exchange are also reviewed. Methods are discussed based on the reactions of functional groups in substituted vinyl ethers (vinyloxyalkanols and halogenated and nitrogen-containing vinyl ethers), catalytic elimination in functional acetals, and the interaction of halogenated acetals with metals and of alkoxides of functional alcohols with vinyl halides. The fields of application of each of the above methods are assessed. A list of 302 references is included.