3- Alkyl -substituted imidazole rearrangement

Investigation of the mechanism of these reactions has suggested ways in which the yields can be improved. Acidic conditions (pH 2) will prevent Cannizzaro rearrangement of any glyoxal-type species and also serve to hydrolyse any Schiff bases which result from side reactions of aldehyde and amine. Conditions should be adjusted so that the rate of hydrolysis of linear products is equal to the rate of cyclocondensation, allowing accumulation of the imidazole products. From glyoxal, formaldehyde and ammonium chloride the yield of imidazole can be inereased to 85% by careful control of the conditions. With an appropriate alkylammonium chloride, 1-substituted imidazoles are also accessible (e.g. 1-methyl (56%), 1-isopropyl (46%), 1-cyclohexyl (49%), 1-n-butyl (55%), 1-t-butyl (25%)). The process may have some applications, but yields drop off with branched alkyl compounds [22 j. Imidazolium salts are also available under similar conditions when two molar equivalents of a primary alkylamine are used [23]. 

A detailed reexamination of the thermal rearrangement of 1-methyl-imidazole originally reported by Wallach has been extended to encompass a wide range of 1-substituted imidazoles. The reaction appears to be of potential synthetic utility since it leads easily to 2-alkyl- and 2-arylimidazoles. It is an irreversible reaction, uncatalyzed, intramolecular, and does not involve radicals [l,5]-sigmatropic shifts, as shown in Scheme 40, are probably implicated. The major product is the 2-substituted imidazole (134), but small amounts of the 4- (or 5-) isomer (135) are also formed. A 1-allyl substituent migrates with equal facility to both 2- and 4(or 5)-positions, suggesting that a Cope-type rearrangement may also be involved for this substituent. ... 

For nonsymmetrical bicyclic imidazoles, direct TV-alkylation (arylation or acylation) is problematic since site-selectivity is influenced by many subtle electronic effects. Thus, Curtius rearrangement-based syntheses have been used widely for the synthesis of differentiated TV-substituted thienoimidazoles (104), (106) from (acylamido)thiophene carbonyl azides (103), (105) (Equations (30) and (31)) <79JCR(S)96>. These intermediates are useful for the synthesis of angiotensin II antagonists (Equation (32)) <91EUP483683,92EUP520423>. 

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