A-4-Thiazoline-2-one

Recently, Koitai et al. (17) have shown that 5,5-diphenyl-2,4-thiazolidinedithione (15) with aluminum chloride in refluxing toluene gives 4,5-diphenyl-A-4-thia2oline-2-thione (16) (Scheme 7). 3-Methyl-4,5-diphenyl (17) and 4,5-diphenyl-A-4-thia2oline-2-thiones (16) are obtained in very low yields (1 to 5%) as by-products of the reaction between deoxybenzoin. benzoin. l,2-diphenyl-1.2-ethanediol. 1.2-diphenylethanol, or benzil, and Sg in hexamethylphosphoamide (18), The transformation of A-4-thiazoline-2-ones to the corresponding thiones by P2S5 (19) is of little synthetic value since the latter are more easily prepared. 

A-4-Thiazoline-2-ones and ring substituted derivatives are usually prepared by the general ring-closure methods described in Chapter II. Some special methods where the thiazole ring is already formed have been used, however. An original synthesis of 4- 2-carboxyphenyl)-A-4-thiazoline-2-one (18) starting from 2-thiocyanato-2-halophenyl-l-3-indandione (19) has been proposed (Scheme 8) (20, 21). Reaction of bicyclic quaternary salts (20) may provide 3-substituted A-4-thiazoline-2-one derivatives (21) (Scheme 9) (22). Sykes et al. (23) report the formation of A-4-thiazoline-2-ones (24) by treatment ef 2-bromo (22) or 2-dimethylaminothiazole (23) quaternary salts with base (Scheme 10). 

Imino-A-4-thiazolines (27) when treated with hydrochloric acid give the A-4-thiazoline-2-ones (28) (Scheme 12). This reaction has been used as a structural proof of the parent compounds (19, 27, 28). 

Ring opening and further ring closure of 2-imino-oxythiolan-l,3 derivatives (32) by water and/or methanol lead to the corresponding A-4-thiazoline-2-one (26) (Scheme 14) (30-32). 

Decomposition of diazonium salts obtained from 2-aminothiazole (4) (29, 34. 35) could be an interesting reaction to introduce O in A-4-thiazoline-2-one. Acidic hydrolvsis of ethers (36. 37). oxidative hydrolysis... 

Thiazolium derivatives unsubstituted at the 2-position (35) are potentially interesting precursors of A-4-thiazoline-2-thiones and A-4-thiazoline-2-ones. Compound 35 in basic medium undergoes proton abstraction leading to the very active nucleophilic species 36a and 36b (Scheme 16) (43-46). Special interest has been focused upon the reactivity of 36a and 36b because they are considered as the reactive species of the thiamine action in some biochemical reaction, and as catalysts for several condensation reactions (47-50). 

Compound 36 when treated by sulfur under nitrogen, leads to the thiazoline-2-thione (37) (Scheme 16) (43). Oxidation by O- or air of 36 (43) or 38 (45, 46) leads to the corresponding thiazoiine (39 or 40). Consequently, condensation reactions using catalysts like 36 must be run in strictly oxygen-free atmosphere (47-50). The isolation of traces of 3-benzyl-4-methyl-A-4-thiazoline-2-one (42) as a product of the oxidation of... 

Physical properties of A-4-thiazoline-2-one and derivatives have received less attention than those of A-4-thiazoline-2-thiones. For the protomeric equilibrium, data obtained by infrared spectroscopy favors fbrm 51a in chloroform (55, 96, 887) and in the solid state (36. 97. 98) (Scheme 23). The same structural preference is suggested by the ultraviolet spectroscopy studies of Sheinker (98), despite the fact that previous studie.s in methanol (36) suggested the presence of both 51a and... 

A-4-Thiazoline-2-one and its derivatives absorb in the region of 247 nm [244 nm in cyclohexane (106)]. Thks band involves a transition (30. 102). From PPP calculations, the first excited state of... 

A-4-thiazoline-2-one is expected to be far more basic than the ground state. 

The infrared spectra of A-4-thiazoline-2-ones are characterized by a strong absorption around 1650 cm (55, 86, 103, 107. 870). For the N-H derivatives, the whole range 2700 to 3200 cm is covered by a strong absorption related to the dimeric and oligomeric states of the hydrogen-bonded structures (85, 86). 

The charge diagram of A-4-thiazoline-2-one is summarized in Table VII-9. This diagram and the one obtained by a HMO treatment (105) are consistent with the easy acetylation occurring in position 5 of the ring. However, PPP calculations indicate that this electrophilic substitution could also have occurred in position 4, which is not observed. 

The formation of trisubstituted A-4 thiazoline-2-ones from the corresponding thiones analogs can be performed by oxidation with hydrogen peroxide under basic conditions. This reaction is strongly dependent on the pH of the medium. Higher yields are obtained in strongly alkaline solution (883). 

Alkylation of A-4-thiazoline-2-one may yield O-R or N-R derivatives according to experimental conditions. With diazomethane in ethanol O-raethylation takes place (29. 36. 214). N-Methylation is reported when a basic solution of A-4-thiazoline-2-one reacts with methyl iodide or dimethylsulfate (21, 29, 215, 216), Reaction of l-chloro-2-dimethyl-aminoethane with the sodium salt of 4 R-A-4-thiazoline-2-one (91) in alcohol, first claimed to yield the aminoalkylether (217, 218), was shown after infrared investigation to give the N-substituted derivative (92) (107), even when R Ph (Scheme 45). More probably the site of reaction in... 

Reaction of (EtOfsPOCl with the sodium salt of A-4-thiazoline-2-one (93) in dry acetone provides the corresponding diethyl thiazolyl-2-phosphate (94) (Scheme 46) (220-223). (EtO) PSCl reacts in the same way with various A-4-thiazoline-2-ones (224-227). When phosphoryl chloride is used the reaction goes further, and 2-chlorothiazole is obtained (7, 193, 194, 217, 228-2.30). 

The electrophilic character of the C-2 atom is more clearly evident in A-4-thiazoline-2-ones than in A-4-thiazoline-2-thiones. 3-Mcthyl-A-4-thiazoline-2-one is cleaved in alcaline medium to give methylaraine (36). This reaction probably starts with the nucleophilic attack of OH on C-2. 

Reduction of A-4-thiazoline-2-one by zinc dust gives low yields of the corresponding thiazoles (36, 231). The formation of thiochrome (95) results from an intramolecular nucleophilic attack (Scheme 47) (232). 

When unsubstituted, C-5 reacts with electrophilic reagents. Thus phosphorus pentachloride chlorinates the ring (36, 235). A hydroxy group in the 2-position activates the ring towards this reaction. 4-Methylthiazole does not react with bromine in chloroform (201, 236), whereas under the same conditions the 2-hydroxy analog reacts (55. 237-239. 557). Activation of C-5 works also for sulfonation (201. 236), nitration (201. 236. 237), Friede 1-Crafts reactions (201, 236, 237, 240-242), and acylation (243). However, iodination fails (201. 236). and the Gatterman or Reimer-Tieman reactions yield only small amounts of 4-methyl-5-carboxy-A-4-thiazoline-2-one. Recent kinetic investigations show that 2-thiazolones are nitrated via a free base mechanism. A 2-oxo substituent increases the rate of nitration at the 5-position by a factor of 9 log... 

Diazomethane alkylation of A-4-thiazoline-2-ones (36, 214) or the Williamson reaction of 2-halogenothiazoles (6. 287-300) provide good yields of 2-alkoxythiazole otherwise obtained by reaction between O-esters of monothiocarbamic acid with a-halocarbonyl compounds (see Chapter II). 

Methoxythiazoles are converted to the corresponding N-methyl-A-4-thiazoline-2-ones by heating with excess methyl iodide (29, 243). The reaction mechanism can be considered initially as the formation of a... 

Alkoxythiazoles are easily cleaved by acids yielding A-4-thiazoline-2-ones (36). C-5 Nitration of the thiazole ring is favored by the 2-alkoxy group (288. 297, 307). Recent kinetic investigations have shown that the rate enhancement is 3 log units (893). 

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