Ciamician-Dennstedt reaction

In addition to the formation of the pyridine framework by de novo approaches (see section 8.1) or by the cycloaddition/cycloreversion sequence (see section 8.2), one can employ reactions that proceed through a rearrangement pathway. The Boekelheide reaction (see section 8.3.1) involves the rearrangement of an existing pyridine skeleton to a more functionalized scaffold, while the Ciamician-Dennstedt reaction (section 8.3.2) generates the pyridine nucleus by rearrangement of an alternative heterocycle. 

The Ciamician-Dennstedt reaction involves the reaction of a pyrrole (1) with the carbene generated from chloroform and a base to provide a 3-chloropyridine (2, Scheme 8.3.1). 

Ciamician and Dennstedt reacted the potassium salt of pyrrole with chloroform in ether and isolated, after much purification, 3-chloropyridine, which was confirmed by crystallization with platinum. While the pyrrole salt can be used as the base, the chloroform carbene is typically formed with an alkali alcohol. Forty years later, Robinson and co-workers made 3-chloroquinolines from indoles using the Ciamician-Dennstedt reaction. ... 

The Ciamician-Dennstedt reaction can be thought of as the complement to the Reimer-Tiemann reaction (Scheme 8.3.2). The first step of both reactions is cyclopropanation of one of the carbon-carbon double bonds of a pyrrole with a dichlorocarbene, resulting in intermediate 3. The Ciamician-Dennstedt reaction results from cleavage of the internal C-C bond and elimination of chloride (path a), while the Reimer-Tiemann reaction results from cleavage of the exocyclic bond, and subsequent hydrolysis of the dichloromethyl moiety to furnish aldehyde 5 (path b). 

The highest yields in the Ciamician-Dennstedt reaction have been achieved using phase transfer catalysts (Table 8.3.1). In the reaction, the pyrrole or indole and a phase transfer catalyst (PTC, in this case benzyltriethylammonium chloride) are dissolved in chloroform and aqueous sodium hydroxide is added. Yields are typically in the 40s to 60s (rather than in the 20s for a typical Ciamician-Dennstedt reaction). More recently, yields as high as 80% have been reported using tetra-n-butylammonium hydrogen sulphate as the phase transfer catalyst. ... 

Table 8.3.1. Comparison of Phase Transfer Catalysts on Yield of Ciamician-Dennstedt reaction...

Ciamician-Dennstedt reaction on pyrrole, as well as pyrazoles, indoles, and Phenyl(trichloromethyl)mercury has been used as a dichlorocarbene... 

The Ciamician-Dennstedt reaction has been used to prepare macrocycles. Reaction of 2,3-alkyl linked indole derivatives 10, 11, 13, and 15 with phenyl(trichloromethyl)-... 

The Ciamician-Dennstedt reaction is currently the only way to date to make calix[4]pyridine 20.(Scheme 8.3.6) Four sequential treatments of calix[4]pyrrole 19 with sodium trichloroacetate results in all four possible geometric isomers of 20 (all four... 

Though beyond the scope of this book, the carbocyclic analog of the Ciamician—Dennstedt reaction has been investigated. ... 

Certain substituted pyridines can be obtained via rearrangement of pyridine iV-oxides (Boekelheide reaction) or via rearrangement of an alternative heterocycle system, i.e., pyrrole (Ciamician—Dennstedt reaction). 

The Ciamician—Dennstedt reaction involves the addition of intermediate dihalocarbene, generated from haloforms (CHX3, X = Cl, Br, or I) and a strong base, to a pyrrole (330) to form an unstable dihalogenocyclopropane, which rearranges to a 3-halogenopyridine such as 331. The reaction was expanded for indoles to provide 3-chloroquinolines. ... 

The yield of a typical Ciamician—Dennstedt reaction was only in 20s%. Yields can be significantly improved by using a phase-transfer catalyst such as benzyltriethylammonium chloride and tetra-w-butylanunonium hydrogen sulfate. " Despite its rare usage, the Ciamician-Deimstedt reaction is the only way to date to make C-bridged calix[4]pyridine 333 Four sequential treatments of calix[4]pyrrole 332 with sodium trichloroacetate result in all four possible geomedic isomers of 333 in 26% overall yield. 

The Ciamician-Dennstedt reaction has been modified to take place in a vapor phase via passing the mixture of pyrrole and chloroform (1 5 ratio) into a glass tube at 550°C to give 33% of pyridine derivative. 

Other references related to the Ciamician-Dennstedt reaction are cited in the literature. 

This reaction is related to the Ciamician-Dennstedt Reaction, Duff Reaction, Gatterman Aldehyde Synthesis, and Gattermann-Koch Formylation. 

The use of sodium tribromoacetate as the dibromocarbene precursor has been investigated and found to provide the Ciamician-Dennstedt product in higher yield than the traditional alkoxide/alcohol reaction conditions. Deprotonation of bromoform with sodium ethoxide in ethanol and reaction of the resultant carbene with 6 provides quinoline 9 in 9% yield thermolysis of sodium tribromoacetate in the presence of 6 furnishes 9 in 20% yield (Scheme 8.3.3). 

Of lesser relevance to this discussion are halogenation methods involving the modification of the carbon skeleton (synthesis and degradation). The Hunsdiecker reaction, as applied to certain heterocyclic acids, has had limited application for the synthesis of halogen derivatives. The preparation of 3-bromo-4,6-dimethyl-2-pyridone from the silver salt of the respective 3-carboxylic acid by treatment with bromine in carbon tetrachloride is a rare example of success.13 The interaction of carbenes with heterocycles also has been employed infrequently, but recent advances in carbene generation may reactivate this approach.14 The Ciamician-Dennstedt ring expansion of pyrrole to / -halopyridines is a case in point18 [Eq. (4)] ... 

The rearrangement of pyrroles to 3-halo-pyridines upon treatment with haloforms (CHX3 where X = Cl, Br, I) in the presence of a strong base was first described by G.L. Ciamician. Its synthetic utility was later extended by M. Dennstedt to the sodium methoxide catalyzed reaction of pyrrole with methylene iodide to give pyridine. Soon after the initial discovery, the methodology was also extended for the indole series to prepare substituted quinolines. The reaction is known as the Ciamician-Dennstedt rearrangement, but it is also referred to as the abnormal Relmer-Tiemann reaction. 

Ciamician-Dennstedt Rearrangement Claisen (see Darzens-Claisen Reaction)... 

Schonberg proposed in his book [4] that the 2+2 cycloaddition first reported by Ciamician for the case of carvone [38] should be named in honor of that scientist. Note that a non photochemical reaction, the Ciamician-Dennstedt ring enlargement of pyrroles (1881), does bear his name... 

Methylpyrroles have been converted into pyridines by hydrochloric acid under severe conditions, and also by pyrolysis (p. 109). The formation of a 3-chloropyridine derivative from a pyrrole under Reimer-Tiemann conditions has been mentioned (p. 63). This type of reaction was discovered by Ciamician and Dennstedt treated pyrrole with chloroform in ether and isolated a small yield of 3-chloropyridine. Subsequently, similar reactions were realized with bromoform, carbon tetrachloride, methylene iodide and benzal chloride. Those of several of these reagents with lithium pyrrole in ether and sodium pyrrole under various conditions have been compared. The yields of pyridine derivatives were always low. In submitting 2,5-dimethylpyrrole to the Reimer-Tiemann reaction, Plancher and Ponti23 isolated a pyrrolenine (7). This and its analogues are not intermediates in the conversion of pyrroles into 3-chloropyridines. The idea that dichlorocarbene is the active reagent in reactions using chloroform is supported by recent work 22 ... 

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