Formazan 3-unsubstituted

The position of the substituents is given according to IUPAC nomenclature using the prefixes 1-, 3-, and 5-. Formazans unsubstituted in the 1- and 5-positions and 1,5-dialkyl-substituted formazans are unknown. Aryl or heteroaryl groups are the most common 1,5-substituents. The 3- or meso position can be occupied by a variety of substituents (e.g., aryl, heteroaryl, H, OH, SR, halogen, N02, CN, and alkyl). 

Whereas reaction of hydrazones disubstituted in the 4,5-position of the selenazole rings with diazotized arylamines only gives formazans, compounds unsubstituted in the 5-position can be attacked there by the diazonium cation. In fact, the azo coupling in this position is decidedly quicker reaction of 5-benzylidenehydrazino-4-phenyl-... 

This mechanism is supported by the fact that a secondary hydrazone such as (8) yields the azohydrazone (9) rather than the formazan.8 Ketone hydrazones also yield azohydrazones. The coupling of hydrazones of glyoxylic acid (10) with diazonium salts is accompanied by decarboxylation to yield 3-unsubstituted formazans (11). Similarly, hydrazones of mesoxalic acid (12) yield formazans with a carboxyl group in position 3, e.g., 13 (Scheme 2).910 Both 11 and 13 can react with diazonium salts to yield the... 

Bulka et al.,22 during the attempted preparation of selenazole formazans, found that the hydrazones of the selenazoles with unsubstituted 5-positions reacted with diazonium salts to give 5-azo derivatives preferentially. Thus coupling 2-benzylidenehydrazino-4-phenyl-selenazole with diazotized o-phenetidine afforded two compounds that could be separated chromatographically on aluminum oxide. The main product (67%) was 2-benzylidenehydrazino-4-phenyl-5-(o-ethoxybenzeneazo) selenazole (7), which formed ruby red prisms with a green surface sheen, mp 206°C.29 The desired formazan formed the minor product (see Section II,B,6). 

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