2-Amino-3-hydroxypyrazine methylation

Methylation of 2-amino-3-hydroxypyrazine (62) with methyl iodide and sodium methoxide afforded 3-amino-l-methyl-2-oxo-1,2-dihydropyrazine (63), and when an excess of methyl iodide was used, a mixture of compound (63) and its methio-dide (64) was isolated. Reaction with dimethyl sulfate and alkaU gave compound (63) and l,4-dimethyl-2,3-dioxo-l,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrazine (66) the latter was presumed to be formed by hydrolysis of an intermediate quaternary salt since it was also obtained by treatment of the methiodide (64) with aqueous sodium hydroxide. Reaction of 2-amino-3-hydroxypyrazine with ethereal diazomethane produced a mixture of N- and 0-methyl derivatives, (63) and 2-amino-3-methoxy-pyrazine (65). With methyl toluene-p-sulfonate the quaternary salt 2-amino-3-hydroxy-1-methylpyrazinium toluenesulfonate (67) was obtained on alkaline hydrolysis it gave 3-hydroxy-l-methyl-2-oxo-l,2-dihydropyrazine (68) (832). Pulcherriminic acid with diazomethane gave a dimethyl derivative (99). 

Methoxypyrazines (31) have been prepared by diazomethane methylation of 2-hydroxy-3-isobutylpyrazine (60, 311, 367), 2-hydroxy-3-isopropylpyrazine (59, 367), 2-hydroxy-3-propyl(ethyl or hexyl)pyrazine (367), 3-hydroxy-2-isobutyl-5(and 6)methylpyrazine and 2-hydroxy-3-isobutyl-5,6-dimethylpyrazine (368), 2,3-dihydroxypyrazine (832), 2-hydroxy-5-methoxy- and 2,5-dihydroxy-3,6-diphenyl-pyrazine (832), 2-hydroxy-6-methoxy(and benzyloxy)pyrazine (832), 2,6-dihydroxy-3,5-diphenylpyrazine (873), 2,3,5-trifluoro-6-hydroxypyrazine (851), 2-chloro-6-hydroxy-3,5-diphenylpyrazine (873), 2-chloro-6-hydroxy-5-methyl-3-phenylpyrazine (873), 2-chloro-6-hydroxy-3-methyl-5-phenylpyrazine (873), 5,6-dichloro-1 -cyclohexyl-34iydroxy-2-oxo-l, 2-dihydropyrazine (853), 2-chloro-5-hydroxy-3-methoxy-6-methoxycarbonylpyrazine (881), 2-(4 -amino-3, 5 -dibromo-phenylsulfonamido)-3Tiydroxy-6-methoxypyrazine (881), 2-amino-3-hydroxy-... 

Hydroxypyrazine with phosphorus pentasulfide in refluxing pyridine for 45 minutes was readily converted to 2-mercaptopyrazine (46%) (55) (its 1-methyl analogue was prepared similarly) (821,1100) and 5-mercapto-2,3-diphenylpyrazine was prepared likewise (834, 1008). 2-Amino-3-mercaptopyrazine was prepared from 2-amino-3-hydroxypyrazine and phosphorus pentasulflde in refluxing 0-picoline(llOl). 

Amino-3-cyano-5-methylpyrazine 1,4-dioxide (91) refluxed for several minutes with acetic anhydride formed 3-acetamido-2-cyano-5-hydroxy-6-methylpyrazine 1-oxide (92) (24%) (532) and 2-acetoxymethyl-5-methylpyrazine 1,4-dioxide refluxed with acetic anhydride afforded a mixture of2,5-di(acetoxymethyl)pyrazine 1-oxide, with some 2,5-diacetoxymethylpyrazine and a monoxide of 2-acetoxy-methyl-5-methylpyrazine (625). 2-Formylpyrazine hydrate 1,4-dioxide with aqueous sodium hydroxide or bicarbonate at < 37° in an unusual reaction gave 3-carboxy-pyrazine 1-oxide mixed with 5 [Pg.188]

Amino-5-carboxypyrazine in anhydrous dimethylformamide with triethyl-amine and ethyl chloroformate and then diethyl glutamate and stirred at room temperature gave 2-amino-5-(l, 3 -diethoxycarbonylpropyl)carbamoylpyrazine (24) (1244). Similarly a mixture of 2-carboxypyrazine and triethylamine in methylene dichloride with ethyl chloroformate and morpholine gave 2-( -morpholinocarbonyl)-pyrazine (1351). 2-Carboxy-3-hydroxypyrazine refluxed with phosphorus tris(A-methylanilide) in toluene gave 2-hydroxy-3-(A-methyl-A-phenyIcarbamoyl)pyrazine (1055), and 2-hydroxy-3-(A -methyl-A -p-tolylcarbamoyl)pyrazine was prepared similarly (1055). Tetracarboxypyrazine heated with sulfur tetrafluoride (SF4) at 150° gave tetra(trifluoromethyl)pyrazine (899). 

Another useful method for the elucidation of the hydroxypyrazine-pyrazinone tautomerism is UV spectral analysis. The objective structure in solution is easily estimated by comparison with the UV spectra of the proton-fixed compounds of two tautomers, O-methylated (22) and A-methylated derivatives (23), which are prepared by methylation of the hydroxypyrazines or pyrazinones with diazomethane (Scheme 2). For example, 6-amino-5-benzyl-3-methyl-2(177)-pyrazinone (21 R = Me, R = CHzPh, X = NH2) has been shown to predominate over the hydroxy form (20) because of its nearly identical UV spectrum with the corresponding V-methylated derivative (23) <93JOC7542>. In contrast, 6-chloro-2-hydroxypyrazines (20 R, R = Me or Ph, X = Cl) exist in the hydroxy form rather than as the tautomeric amide, which is an exceptional example of predominance of the hydroxy form with parallels in the chloro-pyridinone field <7UCS(C)2977>. 

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