Aromatic rearrangements aniline derivatives

Boron trifluoride etherate was used in conjunction with the reducing agent borane to rearrange aromatic O-triisopropylsilyl ketoximes to cyclic and acyclic aniline derivatives. The steric hindrance of the substituents on the silicon atom, the size of the aliphatic ring and the presence of alkoxy substituents on the aryl group played important roles in the aniline formation. 

Rearrangement of primary and secondary aromatic nitramines occurs in an acid medium with the formation of C-substituted aniline derivatives (Bamberger and Landsteiner [17]). 

This reaction was first reported by Fischer and Jourdan in 1883. It is a synthesis of indole derivatives by the treatment of aryl hydrazones coupled from aromatic hydrazines and ketones or aldehydes with either a mineral or Lewis acid. Therefore, it is generally known as the Fischer indole synthesis. In addition, it is also referred to as Fischer cyclization, Fischer indole cyclization, Fischer indole reaction, Fischer indolization, Fischer reaction, and Fischer indole annulation. Although the mechanism has been extensively studied, the one formulated by Robinson and Robinson is now generally accepted. It involves the following steps (a) initial acid-catalyzed tautomerization of an aromatic hydrazone to an ene-hydrazine, b) a [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of ene-hydrazine to a M-imine intermediate, (c) re-aromatization to aniline, d) intramolecular nucleophilic attack to form aminal, and (e) extrusion of an ammonia to afford the indole. 

Sulfonation. Aniline reacts with sulfuric acid at high temperatures to form -aminoben2enesulfonic acid (sulfanilic acid [121 -57-3]). The initial product, aniline sulfate, rearranges to the ring-substituted sulfonic acid (40). If the para position is blocked, the (9-aminoben2enesulfonic acid derivative is isolated. Aminosulfonic acids of high purity have been prepared by sulfonating a mixture of the aromatic amine and sulfolane with sulfuric acid at 180-190°C (41). 

Starting materials other than sulphonyl azides have been used as possible sources of sulphonyl nitrenes. The decomposition of the triethyl-ammonium salt of iV- -nitrobenzenesulphonoxybenzenesulphonamide (26) in methanol, ethanol, and aniline gave products derived from a Lossen-type rearrangement 20> (Scheme 3). It was felt that the rearrangement did not involve a free sulphonyl nitrene since, when the decomposition was carried out in toluene-methylene chloride or in benzene, no products (benzenesulphonamides) of substitution of the aromatic solvent nucleus were found (as are usually found with sulphonyl nitrenes from the thermal decomposition of the corresponding azides). On the other... 

However, the production of the />-phenylenediamine [106-50-3] intermediate is more complex, because it involves the diazotization and coupling of aniline [65-53-3]. Aniline reacts with nitrogen oxides, produced via the oxidation of ammonia, to form 1,3-diphenyltriazene [136-35-6] in the process used by Du Pont (208,209) (see Amines, aromatic-aniline and its derivatives). In the Akzo process a metal nitrite salt and acid in water is used (210). The triazene rearranges in the presence of acid and an excess of aniline to form predominately the p-aminoazobenzene [60-09-3] and a small amount of the ortho isomer, 0-aminoazobenzene [2835-58-7]. The mixture of isomers is catalytically reduced to the respective diamines, and they are then separated from the aniline, which is recycled (208,209). The 0-phenylenedi amine [95-54-5] is used in the manufacture of herbicides (see Amines, aromatic-phenylenediamines). 

The majority of aniline rearrangements embraces the transformations of the arylamine derivatives bearing various substituents at the nitrogen atom. These substituents can be connected to the nitrogen atom by the N—C or N—heteroatom (N, O, S, Hal) bond. The rearrangements may occur either by migration of the substituent to the aromatic nucleus or by rebuilding of the N-side chain itself. 

The products of the amino-Claisen rearrangement can in turn be involved in further isomerizations such as an aromatic di-rr-methane (ADPM) rearrangement98. Another noteworthy rearrangement is that occurring by treatment of V-allylaniline 58 with tert-butyllithium to give V-(2-methylene-4-pentenyl)aniline 60 via a vinyllithium derivative 59 (so-called 6-endo intramolecular carbometallation)99 (equation 24). 

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