Diazirines preparation

Decomposition of bis(trifluoromethyl)diazomethane or bis(trifluoro-methyl)diazirine in carbon disulphide at 150—175 °C produces the cyclic polysulphides (29) and (30), but bis(chlorodifluoromethyl)diazirine, prepared by treatment of the diamine (CFjCl)jC(NH,)2 with alkaline hypochlorite, yields only the carbene rearrangement product CF, CCl CFja when heated with the disulphide. ... 

Prepared by the latter route, decomposition is - 10% in 24 h. This reaction involves direct Cl transfer to NH2CI via the intermediate NH CE NH2CI hydrolysis playing Htde or no role. The presence of NH" 4 improves stabiUty by reacting with HOCl which tends to increase decomposition (39). Trichloramine also increases decomposition, whereas NH2CI has Httle effect. Dichloramine is useful for preparation of diazirine (40). 

Among unsaturated C—N—N three-membered rings only the 3H-diazirines (3) are known. IH-Diazirines with a C=N double bond were never obtained. Diazirines with one or two alkyl groups at carbon were prepared in many cases, aryldiazirines only in some cases. An important role is played by difluorodiazirine as well as by diazirines containing chlorine or bromine (9). 

Diazirines (3) smoothly add Grignard compounds to the N—N double bond, giving 1-alkyldiaziridines. Reported yields are between 60 and 95% without optimization (B-67MI50800). The reaction is easily carried out on a preparative scale without isolation of the hazardous diazirines and may serve as an easy access to alkylhydrazines. The reaction was also used routinely to detect diazirines in mixtures. The diaziridines formed are easily detected by their reaction with iodide. Phenyllithium or ethylzinc iodide also add to (3) with diaziridine formation. 

A formal ring enlargement of diazirines to five-membered rings is also observed with some hydrazones of ketodiazirines (65CB2509). On attempted preparation of hydrazones (201) from ketodiazirine (200) at 0 C the diazo compounds (202) are plausible intermediates since their transformation to aminotriazoles (203) is known. 

The stabilization reactions of alkylcarbenes were used preparatively in some cases. The diazirine derived from adamantanone gave the dehydroadamantane (2l7) thermally in 96% yield 73ZOR430). Alkene formation was reported for a steroid with its C-3 atom part of a diazirine ring. At 140 °C a A-2-unsaturated steroid was formed 65JA2665). 

Rate differences observed between the same bromophenylcarbene (241) when prepared by two different routes, diazirine photolysis and the reaction of benzylidene dibromide with potassium r-butoxide, vanish when a crown ether is added to the basic solution in the latter experiment. In this case the complexing potassium bromide is taken over by the crown ether, and selectivity towards alkenes reaches the values of the photolytic runs (74JA5632). 

Most diazirines are easily obtained from diaziridines. Dialkyldiazirines are simply formed by dehydrogenation of 3,3-dialkyldiaziridines (60AG781). For example, the spirodiazirine (187) can be prepared in 65-75% yield from the diaziridine with silver oxide (6508(45)83). 

By similar procedures diazirines were prepared not only from simple aliphatic ketones but also from hydroxyketones and )3-aminoketones (B-67MI50800), and so were a large number of diazirines from steroidal ketones (65JA2665). Permanganate, bromine, chlorine and hypochlorite were used as oxidants. A one-step preparation of diazirines from ketones like 3-nonanone, ammonia and chlorine has been claimed in a patent (66USP3290289). 3,3-Diazirinedicarboxylic acid derivatives like (286) were obtained directly from oxime tosylates by the action of two moles of O-ethoxyamine (81AG(E)200). 

In the discussion on the structure of the aliphatic diazo compounds, the question of the existence of isomeric diazo compounds with three-membered rings was never considered. It wms therefore a surprise when the cyclic diazo compounds, i.e. the diazirines, became known their preparation wms published independently by Paulsen and by Schmitz and Ohme. ... 

For the preparation of the parent substance, cyclic diazomethane (67), formaldehyde, chloramine, and ammonia were reacted. Diaziri-dine formation was successful in about 20% yield the diaziridine condensed with further formaldehyde to high molecular weight products the diaziridine detected by its oxidizing power was nonvolatile. Oxidation with dichromate in dilute sulfuric acid led to gaseous diazirine (67) [Eq. (56)]. It was only investigated in solution. 

The diazirines are of special interest because of their isomerism with the aliphatic diazo compounds. The diazirines show considerable differences in their properties from the aliphatic diazo compounds, except in their explosive nature. The compounds 3-methyl-3-ethyl-diazirine and 3,3-diethyldiazirine prepared by Paulsen detonated on shock and on heating. Small quantities of 3,3-pentamethylenediazirine (68) can be distilled at normal pressures (bp 109°C). On overheating, explosion followed. 3-n-Propyldiazirine exploded on attempts to distil it a little above room temperature. 3-Methyldiazirine is stable as a gas, but on attempting to condense ca. 100 mg for vapor pressure measurements, it detonated with complete destruction of the apparatus." Diazirine (67) decomposed at once when a sample which had been condensed in dry ice was taken out of the cold trap. Work with the lower molecular weight diazirines in condensed phases should therefore be avoided. 

In contrast to the aliphatic diazo compounds, which are invariably colored, all the diazirines so far prepared are colorless. The UV absorption of diazirines corresponds approximately to that of the aliphatic azo compounds. Diazirine shows in methanol an absorption maximum at 321 mja. The IR spectrum of the diazirines shows a band at ca. 1580 cm". ... 

The diazirines have no basic character, they are not attacked even by strong mineral acids. 3,3-Pentamethylenediazirine (68) could be recovered almost unchanged after the action of methanolic ZN hydrochloric acid for 1 hr. Strong alkalies are also without effect diazirine (67) is unchanged by passing through concentrated sodium hydroxide solution after preparation to eliminate carbon dioxide which is formed simultaneously. ... 

Thus the diazirines could be related by a smooth reaction to a well investigated class of compounds. The three-membered ring structure of the diazirines was thus largely confirmed. They can be obtained from compounds which certainly have a three-membered ring structure [Eq. (54)] and are easily convertible into compounds which have equally well confirmed three-membered ring structures. The structure of the 1-alkyl-diaziridines (43) obtained by the Grignard reaction were confirmed by identification with known compounds, usually prepared by the reaction of Schiff s bases with chloramine [Eq. (32)]. The results of some of these reactions are collected in Table XII. 

The 1-alkyl-diaziridines can easily be hydrolyzed to alkyl hydrazines. Hence alkyl hydrazines are easily available from Grignard reagents and thus from alkyl halides. The three last examples of Table XII show the yield of alkyl hydrazine calculated on the diazirine used. The reaction has preparative interest because the alkylation of hydrazine with alkyl halides only gives monoalkyl hydrazines in exceptional cases. ... 

Yield of 1-alkjd-diaziridine, calculated on the diazirine which was not isolated. A ield of the alkyl hydrazine prepared by hydrolysis of the l-alkyl-diaziridine (calculated on diazirine). 

The proof of the three-membered structure of the diazirines concludes the discussion on the three-membered ring structure of the aliphatic diazo compounds. The knowm linear aliphatic diazo compounds and the newly prepared cyclic diazo compounds (diazirines) are two independent classes of compounds completely different in their physical and chemical properties. An interconversion of the linear and cyclic diazo compounds has not so far been possible. 

The most frequent synthetic approaches, summarized in Scheme 4, are towards the primary photophores. The preparation of aryl azide derivatives follows the typical retro-synthetic pathway in the majority of the reported cases (Scheme 4 A), and, practically, diazotation is the most commonly used procedure [24 - 29]. In the case of diazirines only one major synthetic sequence is repeated ammonolysis of oximes followed by dehydrogenation (Scheme 4B) [30-32]. There are various ways of preparing diazo- or diazocarbonyl-compounds most frequently the Forster and Bamford-Stevens reactions (Scheme 4C) are employed [33-37]. 

General Procedure for the Preparation of Diazirines from Glycosyl Sulfonates... 

Diazirines have been prepared by dehydrogenation of diaziri-dines with mercuric oxide, silver oxide, or dichromate-sulfuric acid. The present procedure corresponds to that of Schmitz and Ohme. The procedure for the preparation of the 3,3-penta-methylenediaziridine has been reported by H. J. Abendroth. ... 

As illustrated in Section 4.1.1, the addition of nonstabihzed carbenes to the oxygen atom of a carbonyl derivative can lead to the production of carbonyl yhdes. However, these methods are not always practical for preparative scale since many side reactions can accompany the decomposition of alkyl diazo and diazirine derivatives. Landgrebe and co-worker (8) extensively studied the thermal decomposition of organomercurials in the presence of carbonyl compounds for the preparative generation of carbonyl yhdes (Scheme 4.6). 

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