Cyano anions reactivity

Later, independently, different anionic indolo-2,3-quinodimethanes which exhibit pronounced diene reactivity were developed from 2-cyano-l-methylindole-3-acetonitrile (537) (518,519) and l,2-dimethylindole-3-carboxaldehyde (539) (520) by reacting with strong base. These quinodimethanes were used in the synthesis of polyfunctionalized carbazole derivatives (538 and 541) (Scheme 5.15). 

A halogen directly attached to the 1,2,4-triazine ring is very reactive and can be replaced by most other nucleophiles as outlined in Scheme 9. Tlie reactivity toward neutral nucleophiles decreases from the 5-position to the 3- and 6-positions, while that towards anionic nucleophiles decreases from the 5-position to the 6- and 3-positions. Among nucleophiles which displace halogen atoms are water, alcohols, amines, hydrazine, hydroxyl-amine, thiols and hydrogen sulfide. It is also reported that the bromine in 6-bromo-1,2,4-triazine-3,5-dione can be replaced by fluorine (323) or by a cyano group (324). 

Aryl fluoroalkyl ethers have been prepared from the reaction, at room temperature in HMPA, of fluo-ro-substituted alkoxides with activated fluoro-,149 nitro-,149 and, at 150 °C, also chloro-arenes150,151 and some chloro-substituted pyrazines (equation 15), pyrimidines, quinolines,150,152 and pyridines.152 Disubstitution was observed in die presence of comparably activated leaving groups such as in 2,4- and 2,6-di-chloronitro- or cyano-benzenes, whereas regiospecific substitution took place at position 4 in 3,4-dichloronitro- or cyano-benzene and at position 2 in 2-fluoro-6-chlorocyanobenzene.151 Steric hindrance and the number of fluorine substituents in the alkoxide pose limits to the reactivity. Thus, tertiary alkoxides, or alkoxides containing more than four fluorine substituents, displace activated nitro and fluoro, but not chloro substituents.149,150 The secondary hexafluoro-2-propoxide anion does not react even with the more reactive nitro and fluoro derivatives.149... 

While the addition-oxidation and the addition-protonation procedures are successful with ester enol-ates as well as more reactive carbon nucleophiles, the addition-acylation procedure requires more reactive anions and the addition of a polar aptotic solvent (HMPA has been used) to disfavor reversal of anion addition. Under these conditions, cyano-stabilized anions and ester enolates fail (simple alkylation of the carbanion) but cyanohydrin acetal anions are successful. The addition of the cyanohydrin acetal anion (71) to [(l,4-dimethoxynaphthalene)Cr(CO)3] occurs by kinetic control at C-P in THF-HMPA and leads to the a,p-diacetyl derivative (72) after methyl iodide addition, and hydrolysis of the cyanohydrin acetal (equation 50).84,124-126... 

The main feature of carbanions derived from nitriles lies in the dependence on the aromatic substrate involved thus, two different outcomes of the substitution reaction are possible formation of the substitution compound by ET to the substrate from the radical anion intermediate 7, formed by coupling of phenyl radicals and acetonitrile anion, or formation of products from elimination of the cyano group as is the case with phenyl halides [31,32] (Sch. 3). The same reactivity pattern is found with halothiophenes [33]. 

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