5-Carboxy-2,3-dimethylpyrazine

The first lithiopyrazine derivative was prepared by Hirschberg et al. (1015) from 3-iodo-2,5-dimethylpyrazine and butyllithium in ether subsequent reaction with (a) carbon dioxide gave 3-carboxy-2,5-dimethylpyrazine, and (b) several aromatic aldehydes gave the carbinols (62, R = H, p-methoxy, m-nitro) (1015). Similar reactions were observed when 2-formylpyridine and 2-acetylpyridine (1016) were used as the carbonyl compounds, but with acetaldehyde attempted reactions were unsuccessful (1015). A patent also describes the preparation of many carbinols from 2,5-disubstituted 3-iodopyrazines (164). The lithio reagent derived from 3-iodo-2,5-dimethylpyrazine (with butyllithium in hexane) with 2-nitrobenzaldehyde gave 2,5-dimethyl-3[ 1 -hydroxy-1 (2"-nitrophenyl)methyl] pyrazine (1017). 

Like pyrazinecarboxylic acids, alkylpyrazinecarboxylic acids are decarboxylated on heating to elevated temperatures. For example, 23-dicarboxypyrazine and 2,3-dicarboxy-5,6-dimethylpyrazine are decarboxylated in acetic acid at 180 to pyrazine and 23-dimethylpyrazine, respectively, but on distillation under vacuum they give 2-carboxypyrazine and 5-carboxy-2,3-dimethylpyrazine, respectively (397). 

Bromo-3-methoxycarbonylpyrazine with 2,3-dimethylaniline in refluxing toluene gave 2-(2, 3 -dimethylphenyl)amino-3-methoxycarbonylpyrazine (950) [hydrolysis of this product with sodium hydroxide in ethanol gave 2-carboxy-3-(2, 3 -dimethylphenyl)aminopyrazine, which was also obtained by treatment of l-(2, 3 -dimethylphenyl)lumazine with sodium hydroxide in refluxing ethanol (950)]. 3-Bromo-2-hydroxy-5-phenylpyrazine with ammonium hydroxide and copper at 150° gave 3-amino-2-hydroxy-5-phenylpyrazine (365a). Replacement of the iodo substituent from 2-amino-5-iodo-3,6-dimethylpyrazine has been effected with ammonium hydroxide (887). 

Diacetyl-3,6-dibenzylpiperazine-2,5-dione (15) reacted with sulfur in dimethyl-formamide and triethylamine to form, after hydrolytic removal of the acetyl groups, 3-benzyl-6-benzylidenepiperazine-2,5-dione (16) (1068). 2-Chloro-5-hydroxy-3,6-dimethylpyrazine heated with solid potassium hydroxide gave 3-hydroxy-2,5-dimethylpyrazine (312), and 2-chloro-6-hydroxy-3,5-diphenylpyrazine with an excess of methanolic sodium methoxide at 150° formed 2-hydroxy-3,5-diphenylpyrazine (873). Decarboxylation of 2-carboxy-3-hydroxypyrazine gave 2-hydroxypyrazine (420) and in this way 24iydroxy[2- C]pyrazine (823) and 2-hydroxy[l- N]pyrazine (822) have been prepared. 

Dicyano-3,6-dimethylpyrazine shaken with sodium ethoxide at room temperature for 10 hours produced 2-cyano-5-ethoxy-3,6-dimethylpyrazine (288). Bromination of 2-methoxy-3-sulfanilamidopyrazine (39) in methanol led to 5-(4 -amino-3, 5 -dibromobenzenesulfonimido)-6-hydroxy-2,3-dimethoxy-2,3,4,5-tetrahydropyrazine (32) which with 2 N sodium hydroxide gave 3-(4 -amino-3, 5 -dibromobenzenesulfonamido)-2-hydroxy-5 nethoxypyrazine (40) (816). The preparation of 2-amino-3,5-dicyano-6-methoxy(and ethoxy)pyrazine from a-(p-toluenesulfonyloxyiminomalononitrile and malononitrile has been described in Section II.7 (484). 2-Methoxycarbonyl(and cyano)-5-pyridiniopyrazine chloride (41) is reported (conditions not stated) to give 2-carboxy(and carbamoyl)-5-methoxypyrazine (765). 

The preparation of arylazo derivatives from hydroxypyrazines has been described in Section VI.6E and from l,4,6-trimethyl-3-methylene-2-oxo-l,2,3,4-tetrahydro-pyrazine to give l,4,6-trimethyl-2-oxo-3-phenykzomethylene-l,23,4-tetrahydro-pyrazine in Section VI.9B. In addition to these reactions Princivalle (1122) reports that 2reacted with benzenediazonium chloride and p-toluenediazonium chloride by elimination of the carboxy group para to the hydroxy group and coupling to form 2-hydroxy-3,6-dimethyl-5-phenyl-azo(and p-tolueneazo)pyrazines, respectively (1122), identical to those prepared from 3-hydroxy-2,5 -dimethylpyrazine. 

Cyano-5-ethoxy-3,6-dimethylpyrazine refluxed with 50% sulfuric acid gave 3-hydroxy-2,5-dimethylpyrazine (288) but when refluxed with 5A potassium hydroxide for 10 hours gave 2-carboxy-5-hydroxy-3,6-dimethylpyrazine (288). 

Dicarboxy-5,6-dimethylpyrazine, heated with acetic anhydride, also gave the anhydride which with methanol gave 2-carboxy-3-methoxycarbonyl-5,6-dimethylpyrazine (654). 2,3-Dicarboxy-5-methylpyrazine anhydride was prepared similarly and on methanolysis and decarboxylation it gave 2-methyl-5(and 6)-methoxycarbonylpyrazines (1327). 

---