2-Amino-5-chloromethyl-3-cyano-6-methylpyrazine 1-oxide

Certain a-chloromethylpyrazine A -oxides have been deoxygenated with phosphorus trichloride. Treatment of 2-amino-5-chloromethyl-3-cyanopyrazine 1-oxide (and 2-amino-3-cyano-5-methoxymethylpyrazine 1-oxide) with phosphorus trichloride at room temperature in tetrahydrofuran resulted in smooth deoxygenation to 2-amino-5-chloromethyl-3-cyanopyrazine (and 2-amino-3-cyano-5-methoxy-methylpyrazine) (529), whereas 2-amino-6-chloromethyl-3-cyanopyrazine 1-oxide was best deoxygenated to 3-amino-5-chloromethyl-2-cyanopyrazine by phosphorus trichloride in refluxing tetrahydrofuran (534). The more vigorous conditions necessary for the last reaction may be a reflection of increased steric hindrance at the fV-oxide grouping (529). Use of solvents like chloroform or dioxane led to slow reactions which were accompanied by the formation of numerous unidentified by-products (534). 

Amino-5-chloromethyl-3-cyanopyrazine 1-oxide was also deoxygenated by sodium hydrosulfite (dithionite) in boiling water to give a poor yield of 2-amino-5-chloromethyl-3-cyanopyrazine, but 2-amino-6-chloromethyl-3-cyanopyrazine 1-oxide under the same conditions underwent both deoxygenation and reductive dehalogenation to 2-amino-3-cyano-6-methylpyrazine (529,534). 

Amino-5-chloromethyl-3-cyanopyrazine 1-oxide with triphenylphosphine in dimethylformamide at 80-90° gave 2-amino-3-cyano-5-(triphenylphosphonio)-methylpyrazine 1-oxide chloride (97) (520) and the 5-bromomethyl analogue reacted similarly with triphenylphosphine in propan-2-ol (542). Compound (97) on hydrolysis with 30% aqueous ethanol containing a small amount of triethylamine gave 2-amino-3-cyano-5-methylpyrazine 1-oxide and thus enabled removal of the chloro substituent from the chloromethylpyrazine (529) compound (97) with triethylamine and acetaldehyde (and other aldehydes) in chloroform at room temperature gave 2-amino-3-cyano-5-(prop-l -enyl)pyrazine 1-oxide (and other alkenyl analogues) (529). 

An analogous series of reactions was observed from 2-amino-6-chloromethyl-3-cyanopyrazine 1-oxide and the 2-amino-3-cyano-6-(triphenylphosphonio)-methylpyrazine 1-oxide chloride with aqueous sodium bicarbonate gave the betaine (98) (534). 

In the synthesis of (III. 15) and (III.16) by Rosowsky and Chen [21], which was an application of the regioselective Taylor pteridine synthesis [22-24], 2-amino-5-chloromethyl-3-cyano-6-methylpyrazine A-oxide was condensed with diethyl A-[4-(A-methylamino)benzoyl]-L-glutamate, the A-oxide group was removed with triethyl phosphite in DMF at 125 °C, and the resultant pyrazine amino nitrile was condensed with gujmidine. Brief hydrolysis (15 min, 1 M NaOH in refluxing EtOH) led to (III. 15), and chlorination of (III.15) at 5 °C afforded the 3, 5 -dichloro derivative (III.16). Ultraviolet absorption spectra of (III. 15) and (III. 16) in 0.1 M NaOH were consistent with those reported in the literature for MTX and DCM, except for small... 

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