Studies and Mechanism of Olefination Reaction in Aryl-Enolates with Paraformaldehyde

A simple, efficient and low-cost methodology for the synthesis of α-aryl-α,β-unsaturated esters using paraformaldehyde as a source of carbon was developed. Factors that control reaction yields such as temperature, concentration and reaction time were evaluated. A mechanism is proposed based on experimental structures of the intermediates.