5-Chloro-4-iodopyrimidine, coupling with

Halopyrimidines also couple with stannanes of heterocycles such as furans [41], azaindoles [42], pyridines [43-46], thiazoles, pyrroles [46] and thiophenes [47], A representative example is the coupling of 3-tributylstannyl-7-azaindole 72 with 5-bromopyrimidine to furnish heterobiaryl 73 after acidic hydrolysis [42]. Moreover, a selective substitution at the 5-position was achieved when 4-chloro-5-iodopyrimidine 74 was allowed to react with 2-thienylstannane to provide thienylpyrimidine 75 [47]. 

However, while this procedure was acceptable on a laboratory scale, it was unsuitable for scale-up due to difficulties with the preparation of the dialdehyde 987 in bulk quantities. Therefore, an alternative procedure was developed that involved a Negishi cross-coupling approach. Thus, coupling of 2-pyridylzinc chloride 990 and 2-chloro-5-iodopyrimidine 991 in the presence of a catalytic amount of Pd(PPh3)4 was able to be achieved in 60-70% yield with a product purity for 989 of greater than 95% <20070PD237>. 

Yamanaka and associates developed a method for the synthesis of 2-butylindole from the Sonogashira adduct of ethyl 2-bromophenylcarbamate and 1-hexyne [97, 98]. Extension of that method to pyridines led to the synthesis of pyrrolopyridines [99]. However, the method was not applicable to the synthesis of pyrrolo[2,3-6/]pyrimidines. They then developed an alternative route involving an initial S Ar displacement at the 4-position of 4,5-dihalopyrimidine followed by a Sonogashira coupling at the 5-position [100]. Thus, 5-iodopyrimidine 200 was obtained from an S Ar displacement at the 4-position of a 4-chloro-5-iodo-2-methylthiopyrimidine (199). The subsequent Sonogashira reaction of 200 with trimethylacetylene at 80°C resulted in adduct 201, which spontaneously cyclized to pyrrolo[2,3-6/]pyrimidine 202. 

Couplings in 5-bromo-2-chloropyrimidine would be expected to proceed preferentially in the 5-bromo position (Scheme 75). This order of preference has been changed by an initial exchange of the chloro with an iodo substituent. The prodnct from the halogen exchange, 5-bromo-2-iodopyrimidine, is selectively conpled in the 2-position with a wide... 

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