Alkyl nitrites, nitrosation

Under alkaline conditions, alkyl nitrites nitrosate imidazoles which possess a free NH group in the 4-position (70AHC(12)103). Nitrosation of 3,5-dimethylpyrazole gives the 4-diazonium salt by further reaction of the nitroso compound with more NO". 5-Pyrazolinones are often nitrosated readily at the 4-position. 3-Alkyl-5-acetamidoisothiazoles undergo 4-nitrosation. 

The behaviour of pyrazoles towards nitrosation is similar to their behaviour described above towards diazo coupling, i.e. aminopyrazoles and pyrazolones readily react with nitrosation agents, like alkyl nitrites (81FES1019), to afford stable nitroso derivatives. Some simple nitrosopyrazoles have been isolated, for example the blue-green 3,5-dimethyl-4-nitrosopyrazole, and many others have been proposed as reactive intermediates in the direct conversion of pyrazoles into diazonium or diazo derivatives (Scheme 25) (B-76MI40402). 

For a discussion of the mechanism of hydrolysis of alkyl nitrites, see Williams, D.L.H. Nitrosation Cambridge University Press Cambridge, 1988, p. 162. 

Carbons adjacent to a Z group (as defined on p. 548) can be nitrosated with nitrous acid or alkyl nitrites. The initial product is the C-nitroso compound, but these are stable only when there is no tautomerizable hydrogen. When there is, the product is the more stable oxime. The situation is analogous to that with azo compounds and hydrazones (12-7). The mechanism is similar to that in 12-7 R—H —> R + N=0 — R—N=0. The attacking species is either NO or a carrier of it. When the substrate is a simple ketone, the mechanism goes through the enol (as in halogenation 12-4) ... 

The nitrosation of oximes can also serve to produce N-hydroxy-N-nitrosamines (Scheme 3.9). The acidified nitrite procedure can be applied to oximes derived from terpenes [132] and hydroxyguanidine [133] for the synthesis of N-hydroxy-N-nitrosamines. However, some a, 5-uri saturated oximes were converted into pyrazole-1,2-dioxides [134]. The alkyl nitrites under basic conditions have produced interesting results. Quinone dioximes yielded only monodiazeniumdiolates [135], while simple aliphatic oximes gave products resulting from addition to the imine double bond... 

At higher acidities the S-nitrosation reaction of thiourea leads to the formation of urea64 (equation 28) via, it is believed, the intermediate formation of the S-nitroso species. The reaction can also be brought about by nitrosamines or alkyl nitrites as the carriers of NO+. Reaction is thought to involve nucleophilic attack of the intermediate by water or the elimination of HSNO giving a carbodiimide, which is then hydrated. 

S-Nitrososulphinates can be made by treating sulphinic acids with N2O4 at about —20 °C in ether (equation 32)76. Use of nitrous acid on alkyl nitrites leads to the formation of the corresponding hydroxylamines (equation 33) in a reaction where it is believed that the first formed nitrososulphinate nitrosates another molecule of the reactant sulphinic acid77. 

Nitrosation of 2- and 4-alkylpyridines, their quaternary salts and N-oxides, can be effected with an alkyl nitrite and sodamide in liquid ammonia the product is an oxime (Scheme 54) (69AP494, 65YZ451). 

Predictably, nitrosation of 2-acetylpyrrole and pyrrole-2-carboxylic esters with alkyl nitrites or nitrous acid preferentially yields the relatively stable 4-nitroso derivatives, whilst 2,4-dialkyl- or -diaryl-pyrroles are nitrosated at the 5-position. Further reaction of the dialkyl and diaryl nitrosopyrroles with an excess of alkyl nitrite in the absence of a base can result in the formation of the nitropyrroles, whereas the reaction with nitrous acid converts the nitrosopyrroles into diazopyrroles (B-77MI30502). 

Alkyl methyl ketones undergo nitrosation at the reactive methylene group when treated with nitrous acid or an alkyl nitrite [Method (fi)]. The presence of hydrogen on the a-carbon permits tautomeric rearrangement to the oxime of a 1,2-dicarbonyl compound. Acidic hydrolysis of the oxime, which is best carried out in the presence of a hydroxylamine acceptor such as laevulinic acid,143 affords a further useful route to the 1,2-dicarbonyl system. 

The treatment of cyclic enol ethers with alkyl nitrites or with nitrosyl chloride gave oximino macrolides in almost quantitative yield [100] [102], The furan derivatives are inert to hydrolytic nitrosation [100]. 

The catalytic activity of artificial chymotrypsin in the hydrolysis of m-tert-butylphenyl acetate (k = 2.8xl02 s 1, KM = 13xl05M) was found to be close to the activity of chymotrypsin in the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl acetate (k,.at = l.lxlO2 s 1, KM = 4x105M). Another example of mimicking enzyme catalysis by P-cyclodextrin is general acid-base-catalyzed hydrolysis and nitrosation of amines by alkyl nitrites (Iglesias, 1998). 

Iglesias, E. (1998) Cyclodextrins as enzyme models in nitrosation and in acid-base-catalyzed reactions of alkyl nitrites, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 120, 13057-13069. 

Until recently most of the mechanistic studies on nitrosation have been concerned with N-nitrosation reactions of amines, including the diazotisation reactions of primary amines. Now, work has been extended to include both O- and S-nitrosation, so that comparisons can be made. Mechanistic studies have also been extended in recent years to include reactions of nitrogen oxides, nitrosamines, alkyl nitrites, thionitrites and transition metal nitrosyl complexes. Many of these reactions have been used preparatively for a long time, but little has been known about their detailed reaction mechanisms. 

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