2-Amino-5-chloromethyl-3-cyanopyrazine 1-oxide

The synthesis of 2-amino-5-chloromethyl-3-cyanopyrazine 1-oxide (529) from aminomalononitrile and chloromethyl hydroxyiminomethyl ketone, and of 2-amino-6-chloromethyl(and chloroalkyl)-3-cyanopyrazine 1-oxide (534) from aminomalononitrile and -chloro-a-hydroxyiminopropionaldehyde (prepared from the addition of nitrosyl chloride to acrolein) has been described in Section III.l. 

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). 

Amino-5-chloromethyl-3-cyanopyrazine 1-oxide at reflux in methanol gave... 

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). 

For the pyrazine A -oxides, there is a table for each substituent type, and compounds are listed (once only) at the first opportunity. For example, 2-amino-6-chloromethyl-3-cyanopyrazine 1-oxide is listed in Table A.31 (aminopyrazine A -oxides) and 2-hydroxy-5-methoxycarbonylpyrazine 1-oxide in Table A.32 (carboxypyrazine A -oxides). 

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