3- Alkyl -substituted imidazole

IV-Aryl and iV-alkyl substituted imidazole-fused enediynes 785 undergo thermally promoted Bergman cycloaroma tization to the benzimidazoles 786 at 145 °C (Scheme 194). Kinetic data indicate that iV-aryl substitution enhances the rate by up to sevenfold <2004TL3621>. 4,5-Bis-(alkyn-l-yl)imidazoles also undergo photoinduced Bergman cycloaromatization <2005TL1373>. 

In the case of imidazoles [32, 40], the situation is totally changed. With imidazoles and alkyl substituted imidazoles it is possible to develop PO polymerisation initiated by hydroxyl groups, without problems and without deactivation of the catalysts, even at... 

A number of microwave-assisted multicomponent methods for the synthesis of imidazoles have been reported [68-71 ]. The irradiation of a 1,2-diketone and aldehyde with ammonium acetate in acetic acid for 5 min at 180 °C in a single-mode reactor provides alkyl-, aryl-, and heteroaryl-substituted imidazoles 39 in excellent yield (Scheme 14) and this method has been used for the rapid and efficient preparation of two biologically active imidazoles, lepidiline B and trifenagrel [68]. 

Burgess followed a similar strategy for the preparation of the salts 8 (Scheme 7). On that occasion several routes to mono-N-substituted imidazoles were explored yielding the desired compoimds in variable yields depending on the nature of the amines. The chirality was introduced via alkylating reagents 9 bearing chiral oxazolines [15]. 

Because esters 745 a, b of imidazole-acetic acid are unstable when stored for long periods, owing to intramolecular catalysis by the imidazole moiety, the esters should be converted into their salts or free acids and stored as such. Only tert-butyl imidazole-(4,5)acetates derived from tert-butyl 4-chloroacetoacetate seem to be stable [232, 233]. N-alkyl-substituted amidines give rise to a mixture of alkyl N-alkylimidazole-4- and 5-acetates [232, 233]. 

Steric factors play an important role in reactions of bromomethylaqua-cobaloxime with substituted imidazoles - 1-methylimidazole reacts at approximately the same rate as imidazole itself, but the presence of an alkyl substituent in the 2-position of the incoming imidazole reduces the rate dramatically (72). 

The most common methods suitable for the synthesis of different azolium compounds will be discussed here. Two routes are particularly useful for the preparation of the imidazolium salts (1) substitution reactions at the nitrogen atoms of imidazole [25] and (2) multicomponent reactions for the generation of an Af,Af -substituted heterocycle which are particularly useful for the synthesis of imidazolium salts bearing aromatic, very bulky, or particularly reactive N,N -sub-stituents (Fig. 3a,b) [26]. Both methods offer the opportunity to produce unsym-metrically substituted imidazolium salts of type 1 either by stepwise alkylation of imidazole or by the synthesis of an W-arylated imidazole derivative followed by 77 -alkylation [27]. Nevertheless, the method of choice for the preparation of the imidazolium salts 1 is the 77,77 -substitution of imidazole. Several other methods for the preparation of imidazolium salts with previously unattainable substitution patterns have also been described [28, 29]. 

Imidazole was converted by hydrogenation over platinum oxide in acetic anhydride to 1,3-diacetylimidazolidine in 80% yield, and benzimidazole similarly to 1,3-diacetylbenzimidazoline in 86% yield [480. While benzimidazole is very resistant to hydrogenation over platinum at 100° and over nickel at 200° and under high pressure, 2-alkyl- or 2-aryl-substituted imidazoles are reduced in the benzene ring rather easily. 2-Methylbenzimidazole was hydrogenated over platinum oxide in acetic acid at 80-90° to 2-methyl-... 

The mechanism of photooxygenation has been studied for a range of substituted imidazoles 45 (Scheme 14). It proceeds via the endoperoxide 46, which has been detected by H-NMR spectroscopy in certain instances, giving 47 for triarylimidazoles, 48 reversibly at low temperatures for R = alkyl, R = R = and a variety of different products for other... 

Different synthetic routes have been used to prepare these carbenes (Scheme 8.6). The most common procedure is the deprotonation of the conjugate acid. In early experiments, sodium or potassium hydride, in the presence of catalytic amounts of either f-BuOK or the DMSO anion were used. ° Then, Herrmann et al. showed that the deprotonation occurs much more quickly in liquid ammonia as solvent (homogeneous phase), and many carbenes of type IV have been prepared following this procedure. In 1993, Kuhn and Kratz" developed a new and versatile approach to the alkyl-substituted N-heterocyclic carbenes IV. This original synthetic strategy relied on the reduction of imidazol-2(3//)-thiones with potassium in boiling tetrahydrofuran (THF). Lastly, Enders et al." reported in 1995 that the 1,2,4-triazol-5-ylidene (Vila) could be obtained in quantitative yield from the corresponding 5-methoxy-l,3,4-triphenyl-4,5-dihydro-l//-l,2,4-triazole by thermal elimination (80 °C) of methanol in vacuo (0.1 mbar). 

A number of 2-substituted imidazoles were found to be 4(5)-alkylated by soft electrophiles. Thus, 2-phenylimidazole (112) reacts with 3-thienylmethyl bromide to give mainly 4- and 4,5-di-substituted products A-alkylation occurs only to a minor extent (Equation 2). Similarly, 2-methoxybenzyl chloride gives rise mainly to C-substituted products. Benzyl bromide, a harder electrophile, gives largely A-benzyl derivatives of (112). 

Hydroxyl-substituted naphthimidazoles, benzothiazoles, benzimidazoles, benzotriazoles, benzoselenazoles and benzoxathiolones may be regarded as substituted phenolic couplers. Compound (121) is a specific example of the latter type which yields intense brown images (51USP2547843). In the absence of hydroxyl groups, alkyl-substituted derivatives of imidazoles or thiazoles may be couplers in their own right by virtue of their active alkyl substituent. 

In relation to enzymic cytochrome P-450 oxidations, catalysis by iron porphyrins has inspired many recent studies.659 663 The use of C6F5IO as oxidant and Fe(TDCPP)Cl as catalyst has resulted in a major improvement in both the yields and the turnover numbers of the epoxidation of alkenes. 59 The Michaelis-Menten kinetic rate, the higher reactivity of alkyl-substituted alkenes compared to that of aryl-substituted alkenes, and the strong inhibition by norbornene in competitive epoxidations suggested that the mechanism shown in Scheme 13 is heterolytic and presumably involves the reversible formation of a four-mernbered Fev-oxametallacyclobutane intermediate.660 Picket-fence porphyrin (TPiVPP)FeCl-imidazole, 02 and [H2+colloidal Pt supported on polyvinylpyrrolidone)] act as an artificial P-450 system in the epoxidation of alkenes.663... 

A simple and direct approach to new imidazole containing ligands is the modification of commercially available imidazoles. Unfortunately, only a limited number of substituted imidazoles is available and most of them are not ideally substituted for further modification because they have only plain alkyl or phenyl substituents. An example of this approach is the synthesis of 3-aminopropylimidazole9 and 3-hydroxy-propy I imidazole10 from urocanic acid... 

Substituted imidazole 1-oxides 228 can be prepared by N-oxidation of imidazoles 248, by N-alkylation of 1-hydroxyimidazoles 249, or by cycliza-tion using suitable starting materials derived from a 1,2-dicarbonyl compound, an aldehyde, an amine, and hydroxyamine. The substituents at the three first starting materials are transferred to the product and make control over the substituents in the imidazole 1-oxide 228 possible depending on the protocol used by the synthesis. The synthesis of 3-hydroxyimidazole 1-oxides is presented in Section 3.1.6. 

At-Alkylation of 1-hydroxyimidazoles 249 produces 3-substituted imidazole 1-oxides 228 (R=Aik) in low yields due to competing O-alkylation and dialkylation leading to 1-alkoxyimidazoles 250 and l-alkyl-3-alkyloxy-imidazolium salts 251, respectively (1970ZC211,1990S795) (Scheme 70). 

This issue was addressed taking into advance that butyloxycarbonyl (Boc)protection of 249 takes place regioselectively at the oxygen atom to give 252. Subsequent alkylation finds only N-3 accessible for attack (1990S795). Subsequent methanolysis and neutralization afforded the 3-substituted imidazole 1-oxide 228 (Scheme 71). 

Substituted imidazole 1-oxides 228 are predicted to be activated toward electrophilic aromatic substitution, nucleophilic aromatic substitution, and metallation as described in Section 1. Nevertheless little information about the reactivity of imidazole 1-oxides in these processes exists. The reason for this lack may be the high polarity of the imidazole 1-oxides, which makes it difficult to find suitable reaction solvents. Another obstacle is that no method for complete drying of imidazole 1-oxides exists and dry starting material is instrumental for successful metallation. Well documented and useful is the reaction of imidazole 1-oxide 228 with alkylation and acylation reagents, their function as 1,3-dipoles in cycloadditions, and their palladium-catalyzed direct arylation. 

Substituted imidazole 1-oxides 263 upon treatment with dimethyl or diethyl sulfate furnish l-alkoxy-3-subtituted imidazolium salts 283 that were converted to the tetrafluoroborate 283 (A- = BF4 ) or hexafluorophos-phates 283 (A = PF6-) by treatment with sodium tetrafluoroborate or hexa-fluorophosphate (2007ZN(A)295). The tetrafluoroborates 283 (A = BF4 ) reacted with cyanide ion to give 2-cyanoimidazoles 285 (1975JCS(P1)275). The reaction probably follows a mechanism similar to that suggested to be operative in the pyrazole series encompassing O-alkylation succeeded by nucleophilic addition and elimination of methanol (Scheme 85). 

N-propinylazoles of the BAY d 9603 type have a close structural relationship to the tritylazoles. They have a wide range of activity, particularly effective against mould fungi. Starting material here is the readily available diphenyl-propinol obtained by ethinyla-tion of benzophenone. The method for the conversion of this carbinol into the corresponding N-substituted imidazole is the reaction with carbonyl or thionyl-bis-imidazole, or preferably with the tris-imidazolide of phosphoric acid in a polar solvent. All other alkylation methods in which carbocations occur as intermediates completely fail. 

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