4.4- disubstituted-2-phenyl-5 -oxazolones

Alkylation of saturated 5(4//)-oxazolones at C-4 is a well-known reaction that can be achieved under a wide variety of conditions. Numerous articles have described this reaction as a means to prepare 4,4-dialkyl-5(477)-oxazolones 147 that are valuable intermediates to prepare ot,ot-disubstituted a-amino acids. For instance,2-phenyl-5(4//)-oxazolone 146 readily obtained from hippuric acid and A,A -dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC), is alkylated at C-4 with allyl, benzyl, or phenacyl halides if the reaction is conducted in dipolar aprotic solvents in the presence of weak bases. Hydrolysis of the resulting 5(477)-oxazolones leads to a,a-dialkylglycines 148 (Scheme 7.43). 

Alkylation of 2,4-disubstituted-5(477)-oxazolones can be conveniently performed via phase-transfer catalysis. For example, the substrate and an alkyl halide are dissolved in an organic solvent and stirred with an aqueous sodium carbonate solution containing tetrabutylammonium bromide as a phase-transfer catalyst. 4,4-(Diarylmethyl)-2-phenyl-5(4/f)-oxazolones can be prepared in one-step by dialkylation of 146 using magnesium methyl carbonate and the corresponding... 

Racemization is not encountered when 4-unsubstituted-5(477)-oxazolones or 4,4-disubstituted-5(477)-oxazolones are used as reagents. Indeed, 4-unsubstituted-5(47/)-oxazolones function as glycine synthons in the synthesis of A-acylglycyl-a-amino acids. For example, aminolysis of 2-(trifluoromethyl)-5(47/)-oxazolone with a-methylphenylalanine affords A-(trifluoroacetyl)glycyl-a-methylphenylalanine. 4,4-Disubstituted-5(4//)-oxazolones, readily available by alkylation of the monosubstituted derivatives, are very useful intermediates in the synthesis of peptides that incorporate ot,ot-disubstituted amino acids. As an example, 4-(aryl-methyl)-2-phenyl-4-(trifluoromethyl)-5(4//)-oxazolones 260 are key intermediates... 

H)-OxazoIones (78) are unstable with respect to the 4//-isomers (79) however, the 2-trifluoromethyl derivatives are unique in that the 2//-forms (78 R1 = CF3) are favoured (62LA(658)128). This was evident from the NMR spectra of numerous derivatives containing phenyl or alkyl groups at C(4) (64CB2023). While 2,2-disubstituted 5(2//)-oxazolones (80) have a fixed structure, the 2-methylene derivatives, such as 2-benzylidene-4-methyl-5(2H)-oxazolone (81), are in potential tautomeric equilibrium with 5(4//)-oxazolones, e.g. (82). However, compound (81) exists entirely in this form, no doubt because it is stabilized by conjugation of the phenyl group with the exocyclic double bond. 

Rao and Filler130 prepared a number of 2-phenyl-5,5-disubstituted 2-oxazolin-4-ones by base-catalyzed cyclization of halogenated bis-amides, such as a-chloro-a,a-diphenylacetylbenzamides [Eq. (30)]. When chloroacetamide reacts with oxalyl chloride, the bis-oxazolone (55) is obtained.138... 

The reaction of 4-phenyl-3-buten-4-olide with benzylamine was investigated as a model for polyamide synthesis. Linear polyamides were prepared from ringopening polyaddition of 4,4 -disubstituted bis(3-buten-4-olide) in m-cresol u g aliphatic diamines. Further studies have investigated the production of hydroxy-substituted polyamides from 4,4 -disubstituted bis(4-butanoiide) and polyamide production from 2,2 -p-phenylene bis-oxazolones by similar ring opening reactions with diamines. ... 

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