organic chemistry - Does the synthesis of beta-keto phosphonates from esters have a name?

Consider the Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons reaction; one of its reactants is a phosphonate, usually stabilised by a β-carbonyl group which is then deprotonated in α position (figure 1). These phosphonate esters can be synthesised in a Michaelis–Arbuzov reaction from a phosphorous acid triester and an alkyl halide (figure 2). Another viable way is to start from diethyl ethylphosphonate, deprotonate that (e.g. with n-BuLi) and let it attack a carboxylic ester much like a Grignard reagent would (figure 3).

Figure 1: Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons reaction. Image taken from Wikipedia, originally created by Wikipedia user ~K.

Figure 2: Michaelis–Arbuzov reaction. Image taken from Wikipedia, originally created by Wikipedia user ~K.

Figure 3: Alternative synthesis of HWE phosphonates. Image self-drawn.

Since about every reaction in organic chemistry has a name of some kind, is the reaction in figure 3 also a named reaction, and if so, what is the reaction’s name?

Answer

My inclination is to call this reaction a "phosphono-Claisen condensation." A Claisen condensation is the alpha-acylation of an ester with another ester. In this case, the typical carbon-centered ester is replaced with a phosphonate, so phosphono-Claisen condensation specifies that difference. Avoiding the proper name, "alpha-acylation of a phosphonate" is a suitable description of the reaction.

Montchamp and coworkers published a paper describing the "phospha-Claisen condensation" reaction, which they limit to the condensation of two phosphonates to give a 1,1-diphosphono compound.

The website maintained by the venerable Hans Reich describes this reaction as "Claisen-like":

(MeO)2P(O)CH2Li will also react with carboxylic acid derivatives like esters, lactones and amides in a Claisen-like reaction to form keto phosphonates.

The Organic Chemistry Portal describes the reaction as "the condensation of esters and phosphonates."

A brief survey of the literature featuring this reaction type (Thanks SciFinder!) doesn't show any convention for naming this reaction beyond calling it the acylation of a phosphonate. In my SciFinder searching, the earliest usage of this reaction is from 1970, and that paper cites a Corey paper from 1966. The latter paper doesn't have a proper experimental on the reaction but contains the note:

Anions derived from 1 (X = H or alkyl) are of value in the synthesis of keto phosphonates 1 (X = RCO) by reaction with esters. The preparation of these intermediates, which are of value in olefin synthesis [see H. Takahashi, K. Fujiwara, and M. Ohta, Bull. Chem. Soc. Japan, 35, 1498 (1962)], is usually impractical by the Michaelis-Arbusov reaction.

It's a little nebulous who performed this chemistry first, but perhaps someone could have christened it the "Corey-Claisen condensation" or the "Corey variant of the Claisen condensation". Of course there is already a Corey-Claisen rearrangement so this would be really confusing.