Abstract Alkyl cyanofurylmethanephosphonates are formylated with ethyl formate in the presence of sodium foil to form sodium derivatives of phosphonoacetic aldehyde. If phosphonoacetic aldehyde and nitrile groups occupy remote positions in the furan ring, the sodium derivative in DMSO solution exists in the form of carbanion carrying charge on the carbon atom adjacent to the aldehyde group. If the substituents are located at the adjacent ...
