Diazonium salts, aryl hydroxylation

The trapping of hydroxyl radicals has also been of interest in connection with electrochemistry. Bard et al. (1974) initiated electrochemical applications of spin trapping and showed, for example, that the cathodic reduction of diazonium salts in the presence of PBN gives aryl-radical spin adducts. A route... 

An alternate entry to the narciclasine class of alkaloids has provided access to compounds related to isonarciclasine (263) (Scheme 24). In the event, the aryla-tion of p-benzoquinone with diazonium salts derived from the aryl amines 250 and 251 yielded the aryl-substituted benzoquinones 252 and 253, respectively (146). The selective hydroxylation of 252 and 253 with osmium tetraoxide provided the corresponding m-diols 254 and 255. Catalytic hydrogenation of 254 and 255 using Pd/C or Raney Ni and subsequent lactonization gave the triols 256 and 257 together with small amounts of the C-2 a-epimers 258 and 259. Aminolysis of 256 and 257 afforded the corresponding racemic tetrahydrophen-anthridones 260 and 261, whereas similar treatment of the a-epimers 258 and 259 led to the formation of ( )-isolycoricidine (262) and ( )-isonarciclasine (263), respectively. 

As already mentioned, hydroxypyrazines exist in tautomeric equilibria with the corresponding pyrazinones which are normally the predominant species in the equilibria. Some of the reactions of hydroxypyrazines are reminiscent of those of phenols they can, for example, be coupled with diazonium salts and brominated and nitrated in either the ortho or para position to the hydroxyl group. Coupling with diazonium salts occurs in neutral or weakly alkaline solution, but if the reaction is carried out in 1 M sodium hydroxide solution, arylation of the pyrazine ring takes place. From hydroxy-pyrazine and benzenediazonium chloride 47% 2-hydroxy-3-phenyl-and 4% 2-hydroxy-3,6-diphenylpyrazine are obtained. 

This is most practically carried out via the use of aryl diazonium salts (Ar-N2 Cl ) which are derived from aryl amines(Ar-NH2) which are themselves produced by the catalytic reduction of aryl nitro compounds (Ar-N02). Thus, we would seem to need to put a nitro group para to the original hydroxyl group. We must be aware of phenol s immense reactivity and the subsequent danger of polynitration. To avoid this danger, we treat phenol with dilute nitric acid instead of with concentrated nitric acid and with concentrated sulfuric acid as the catalyst. 

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