Electrophilic substitution of pyrrole

Frontier orbital theory predicts that electrophilic substitution of pyrroles with soft electrophiles will be frontier controlled and occur at the 2-position, whereas electrophilic substitution with hard electrophiles will be charge controlled and occur at the 3-position. These predictions may be illustrated by the substitution behaviour of 1-benzenesulfonylpyr-role. Nitration and Friedel-Crafts acylation of this substrate occurs at the 3-position, whereas the softer electrophiles generated in the Mannich reaction (R2N=CH2), in formylation under Vilsmeier conditions (R2N=CHC1) or in formylation with dichloromethyl methyl ether and aluminum chloride (MeO=CHCl) effect substitution mainly in the 2-position (81TL4899, 81TL4901). Formylation of 2-methoxycarbonyl-l-methylpyrrole with... 

Electrophilic substitution of pyrrole can, however, be carried out under specialised conditions (e.g. acylation with (MeC0)20/BF3, sulphonation with a pyridine/S03 complex, C5H5N-S03, cf. (67)) leading to preferential attack at the 2-, rather than the 3-, position. This reflects the slightly greater stabilisation of the Wheland intermediate for the former (70) compared with that for the latter (71) ... 

On electrophilic substitution of pyrrole, thiophene and furan derivatives carrying a carbonyl substituent at position 2, the orientation... 

An example of easy a-electrophilic substitution of pyrrole with a weak electrophile... 

Reactions of Pyrroles. 1,3-Di-t-butylpyrrole forms the first stable protonated pyrrole, the salt (104). Electrophilic substitution of pyrrole with MeaC or Me FC in the gas phase occurs mainly at the j3-position, as does nitration and Friedel-Crafts acylation of l-phenylsulphonylpyrrole2 Pyrrole-2,5-dialdehyde has been prepared by Vilsmeier-Haack formylation of the ester (105), followed by hydrolysis. A similar method has been used to convert the di-acetal (106) into pyrrole-2,3,5-tricarbaldehyde. AT-Benzoyl-pyrrole reacts with benzene in the presence of palladium(II) acetate to yield a mixture of l-benzoyl-2,5-diphenylpyrrole, the bipyrrolyl (107), and compound (108). Treating lithiated A-methylpyrrole with nickel(II) chloride results in the polypyrrolyls (109 = 0-4). 2-Aryl-1-methylpyrroles are obtained by cross-coupling of l-methylpyrrol-2-ylmagnesium bromide with aryl halides in the presence of palladium(0)-phosphine complexes. ... 

During normal electrophilic substitution of pyrroles, the isopyrrole intermediate (Scheme 2) undergoes rearomatization by loss of a proton to give a 1//-pyrrole as the product. If, however, the electrophile adds to a carbon already bearing a substituent, rearomatization is not possible, and an isopyrrole may be isolated. Usually, this is a 2H form, although occasionally the 3H form is a coproduct.8... 

Under strongly basic conditions (generation of dichlorocarbene from chloroform and potassium hydroxide), electrophilic substitution of pyrrole by dichlorocarbene dominates, leading eventually to pyr-role-2-carbaldehyde. In a weakly basic medium (generation of dichlorocarbene by heating sodium tri-chloroacetate), the [2+1] cycloaddition prevails. The primary product eliminates hydrogen chloride to give 3-chloropyridine. 

Electrophilic substitution of pyrrole occurs preferentially at positions 2 and 5, as in the case of thiophene and furan. 

If one heats acetone and pyrrole in the presence of catalytic amounts of acid, so-called acetone pyrrole is formed in over 80%i yield. This colorless, macrocyclic compound contains four pyrrole units which are connected by dimethylmethylene bridges, ft is formed by electrophilic-a-substitution of pyrrole by acetone, acid-catalyzed oligomerization, and spontaneous. 

E. Treibs Views on the Nature of the Acid Catalysis of Electrophilic Substitution in Pyrroles.298... 

Judging by the predominance of a-substitution in electrophilic attack of pyrrole, one would say that of the cations (13) and (14), the former would greatly predominate. In support of this there is the argument that the charge in (13) is more delocalized (3 canonical... 

Heterocycles with conjugated jr-systems have a propensity to react by substitution, similarly to saturated hydrocarbons, rather than by addition, which is characteristic of most unsaturated hydrocarbons. This reflects the strong tendency to return to the initial electronic structure after a reaction. Electrophilic substitutions of heteroaromatic systems are the most common qualitative expression of their aromaticity. However, the presence of one or more electronegative heteroatoms disturbs the symmetry of aromatic rings pyridine-like heteroatoms (=N—, =N+R—, =0+—, and =S+—) decrease the availability of jr-electrons and the tendency toward electrophilic substitution, allowing for addition and/or nucleophilic substitution in yr-deficient heteroatoms , as classified by Albert.63 By contrast, pyrrole-like heteroatoms (—NR—, —O—, and — S—) in the jr-excessive heteroatoms induce the tendency toward electrophilic substitution (see Scheme 19). The quantitative expression of aromaticity in terms of chemical reactivity is difficult and is especially complicated by the interplay of thermodynamic and kinetic factors. Nevertheless, a number of chemical techniques have been applied which are discussed elsewhere.66... 

Electrophilic substitution is much easier than in benzene. Thiophene reacts about as readily as mesitylene pyrrole and furan react as readily as phenol or even resorcinol. Electrophilic substitution of heterocycles has been reviewed (86HC(44/2)l), (90AHC(47)87), and the following conclusions were reached ... 

Acyl-pyrroles and -indoles have also been obtained from their dithioketals, which are produced by direct electrophilic substitution of the heterocyclic system using 2-substituted... 

Alkylation of the C(2) or C(3) carbons of the pyrrole ring can be accomplished by electrophilic aromatic substitution. Such substitution reactions may be carried out on the neutral heterocycle or on a metal salt. The magnesium salts are of most synthetic importance for the alkylation of both pyrroles and indoles. As discussed in Section 3.05.1.2.7, there is a reversal of the preferred site of electrophilic substitution between pyrroles and indoles. Thus Friedel-Crafts-type substitution of pyrroles gives 2-aIkylpyrroles while similar reaction... 

The preceding sections describe regioselective electrophilic addition of pyrrole complexes at the 3-position with various electrophiles to give ( -substituted lZ/-pyrrole or 3//-pyrrolium isomers. The latter compounds, in contrast to their noncomplexed counterparts, are only moderately acidic (pKa 6) and therefore resist rearomatization and multiple alkylations. For example, when uncomplexed 2,5-dimethylpyrrole is treated with 1 equiv of methyl acrylate and TBSOTf, a statistical 1 2 1 ratio of starting material, monoalkylated 105 (vide infra), and 3,4-bis-alkylated product is found.12 Treatment of 1-methylpyrrole under the same conditions results in at least four alkylated products along with starting material. In contrast, coordination by osmium results in smooth... 

Comparison of the a j8 Ratios in Electrophilic Substitutions of Furan, Thiophene, and Pyrrole... 

In pyrrole the a /3 reactivity ratio is much smaller than in the other 5-membered rings (see Section III,A, 2) here the formation of a relatively larger amount of 3-substituted isomer could be expected. Actually, the 5-substituted 2-alkyl derivative appears to be the main product in all the electrophilic substitutions of the 2-alkylpyrroles3 in some cases, as in the reactions with trifluoroacetic anhydride and acetyl trifluoroacetate,147 the 5-substituted isomer is apparently the only product formed. 

The ease of electrophilic substitution is pyrrole > furan > thiophene > benzene. 

The reaction proceeds by formation of the electrophilic Vilsmeier complex 2.30, followed by electrophilic substitution of the heterocycle. The formyl group is generated in the hydrolytic workup. Pyrrole, thiophene, and furan all undergo this formylation which is highly selective for the C2 position. 

---