Aromaticity, aromatic character mesoionic compounds

Mesoionic compounds have been known for many years and have been extensively utilized as substrates in 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions.158-160 Of the known mesoionic heterocycles, munchnones and sydnones have generated the most interest in recent years. These heterocyclic dipoles contain a mesoionic aromatic system i.e. 206) which can only be depicted with polar resonance structures.158 Although sydnones were extensively investigated after their initial discoveiy in 1935,160 their 1,3-dipolar character was not recognized until the azomethine imine system was spotted in the middle structure of (206). C-Methyl-N-phenylsydnone (206) combines with ethyl phenylpropiolate to give the tetrasub-... 

The easy formations of cycloadducts 453,460,464,467, and 469 from the cycloadditon of dipolarophiles with mesoionic ring compounds are the first observed examples where addition occurs at a bridgehead carbon atom. The bicyclic adducts with ring nitrogen atoms are strained molecules, and if appropriate, these adducts attain aromatic character through the extrusion of a small molecule such as H2S or elemental sulfur. 

A Wittig-type reaction of iminophosphorane 995 with benzoyl and ethoxycarbonyl isocyanates gave (91T6747) thiadiazolotriazines 996, whereas reaction of 995 with aromatic isocyanates afforded 997. On the other hand, iminophosphorane 995 reacted with methyl and benzyl isothiocyanates to give 998. Reaction of 995 with acid chlorides gave 999 (88H1935). All these compounds display mesoionic or zwitter ionic character (Scheme 184). 

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