2-Ethylpyrazine oxidation

Bromination using NBS has been used to provide acetylpyrazine derivatives from the corresponding ethylpyrazines. Bromination of 2-ethyl-3-methylpyrazine gives 2-bromoethyl-3-methylpyrazine in quantitative yield this may be oxidized using the sodium salt of 2-nitropropane or with pyridine AT-oxide to yield 2-acetyl-3-methylpyrazine in yields of 66 and 25% respectively (Scheme 14). 

Direct oxidation of ethylpyrazines to the corresponding acetylpyrazines may also be carried out in favourable circumstances using hot chromic acid (75JOC1178). Treatment of 2-ethyl-3-alkylpyrazines with chromic acid yields the corresponding 2-acetyl-3-alkyl-pyrazines in yields of 50-70%. In the absence of the 3-alkyl substituent the yields fall dramatically to less than 10%. Acetylpyrazines are more generally prepared by the inverse addition of a Grignard reagent to a cyanopyrazine. 

The following synthesis (Scheme 15) of 2-ethylpyrazine, based on the reaction of ethylenediamine and 1,2-butylene oxide, is illustrative of the further application of these reactions.171... 

Pyrazinecarboxylic acid has been obtained by selenious acid oxidation in pyridine of methylpyrazine or aqueous permanganate oxidation of ethylpyrazine, in yields of 64 and 48%, respectively.171,218 It has also been obtained in 70% yield by partial decarboxylation of pyrazine-2,3-dicarboxylic acid on heating in vacuo at 210°.219 Aqueous permanganate oxidation of 2,5-distyrylpyrazine gives the 2,5-dicarboxylic acid.220 Pyrazine-2,5-dicarboxylic acid has also been prepared in 45% yield by direct carboxylation of pyrazine with carbon dioxide at 50 atm pressure at 250° for 3 hours in the presence of a potassium carbonate and calcium fluoride catalyst.221 Pyrazine-tricarboxylic acid (57), obtainable in only very poor yields by oxidation of 2,5-dimethyl-3-ethylpyrazine, is prepared in 87% yield by alkaline permanganate oxidation of 2-(D-arabo)tetrahydroxybutyl-quinoxaline (56).222 Decarboxylation of the tricarboxylic acid by... 

Some 2 -dialkylpyrazines have been oxidized in one step with sodium dichromate in acetic acid, in good yields, to the corresponding 2-acyl-3-alkylpyrazines (678). Thus 2-ethyl-3-methylpyrazine gave 2-acetyl-3-methylpyrazine, 23-diethylpyrazine gave 2-acetyl-3-ethylpyrazine, and 2-ethyl-3,5(or 3,6)-dimethylpyrazine gave 2-acetyl-3,5(or 3,6)-dimethylpyrazine (678). 

Dicarboxypyrazine was also obtained by permanganate oxidation of 2-carboxy-5-ethylpyrazine (352), fructosazine (182, 183), 2,5-bis(D-/yxo-tetraacetoxybutyl)-pyrazine (184), 2,5-diphenethyl-l,4-dihydropyrazine (173), a product from the ammoniation of molasses (46), and by oxidation of deoxyfructosazine (3) with hydrogen peroxide and sodium hydroxide at 80° ( ) (1072). The oxidation of... 

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