Electroorganic chemistry. 82. .beta.-Amino acid esters from .alpha.-methoxycarbamates and ketene silyl acetals; cyclization to .beta.-lactams

beta -Lactams are some of the most important antibiotics, as exemplified by penicillins and cephalosporins, and hence preparation of new compounds containing a beta -lactam moiety has always attracted much attention. The authors report herein a new synthetic method of beta -lactams utilizing the reaction of alpha -methoxylated carbamates with ketene methyl trimethylsilyl acetals as the key reaction.