Diazo compounds pyrazolenines

Pyrazoles are formed when the diazo compounds react with alkynes or with functionalized alkenes, viz. the enols of /3-diketones. Pyrazolenines (353 Section 4.04.2.2.1) are isolated from disubstituted diazomethanes. Many pyrazoles, difficult to obtain by other methods, have been prepared by this procedure, for example 3-cyanopyrazole (616) is obtained from cyanoacetylene and diazomethane (7iJCS(C)2i47), 3,4,5-tris(trifiuoromethyl)pyrazole (617) from trifluorodiazoethane and hexafluoro-2-butyne (8lAHC(28)l), and 4-phenyl-3-triflylpyrazole (618 R =H) from phenyltriflylacetylene and diazomethane (82MI40402). An excess of diazomethane causes iV-methylation of the pyrazole (618 R = H) and the two isomers (618 R = Me) and (619) are formed in a ratio of 1 1. 

The formation of pyrazolenines demands, as in the cyclopropenone series, the intermediacy of conjugated diazo compounds, e.g. 549, arising from valence tautomeriza-tion of diaza bicyclo(3,l,0)hexanes, e.g. 548. 

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