2-Amino-3-cyano-6-methylpyrazine 1-oxide 5- , deoxygenation

Phenylpyrazine 1-oxide, 2,3-diphenylpyrazine 1-oxide and 2,5-diphenylpyrazine 1 -oxide have been deoxygenated in good yield by aqueous chromium(ll) chloride in methanol, acetone, and chloroform at room temperature (761), and deoxygenation of 5-(substituted aminomethyl)-2-amino-3-cyano-6-methylpyrazine 1-oxide by triethyl phosphite in hot dimethylformamide has been described (762). 

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). 

The oxidations of 2-amino-3-cyanopyrazine 1-oxides to the 1,4-dioxides are described in Section VIII.3A(4) and deoxygenations of some 2-amino-3-cyano-pyrazine 1-oxides and 1,4-dioxides with phosphorus trichloride or sodium dithionite in Section VIII.3C(4). Deoxygenation and chlorination of aminocyanopyrazine 1-oxides are reported in Section V.IG, and deoxygenation and acetoxylation or alkoxylation of 2-amino-3-cyano-5-methylpyrazine 1,4-dioxide in Section VIII.3C(5). Hydrolysis of cyanopyrazine Y-oxides to carbamoylpyrazine Af-oxides are given in Section 10A(3) and ring closure reactions of 2-amino-3-cyanopyrazine 1-oxides to pteridine 8-oxides in Section V11I.3C(3). 

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