Furan 2-hydroxy-5-methyl-, tautomerism

The effect of substituents on the reactivity of heterocyclic nuclei is broadly similar to that on benzene. Thus mem-directing groups such as methoxycarbonyl and nitro are deactivating. The effects of strongly activating groups such as amino and hydroxy are difficult to assess since simple amino compounds are unstable and hydroxy compounds exist in an alternative tautomeric form. Comparison of the rates of formylation and trifiuoroacetylation of the parent heterocycle and its 2-methyl derivative indicate the following order of sensitivity to substituent effects furan > tellurophene > selenophene = thiophene... 

In many cases, substituents linked to a pyrrole, furan or thiophene ring show similar reactivity to those linked to a benzenoid nucleus. This generalization is not true for amino or hydroxyl groups. Hydroxy compounds exist largely, or entirely, in an alternative nonaromatic tautomeric form. Derivatives of this type show little resemblance in their reactions to anilines or phenols. Thienyl- and especially pyrryl- and furyl-methyl halides show enhanced reactivity compared with benzyl halides because the halogen is made more labile by electron release of the type shown below. Hydroxymethyl and aminomethyl groups on heteroaromatic nuclei are activated to nucleophilic attack by a similar effect. 

This gives tautomeric mixtures119 when the tert-butyl group is removed. The methyl ether has been used to obtain 3-hydroxy-2-carbonyl derivatives in the selenophene series.120 The unsubstituted 2-hydroxyselenophene system has been prepared by hydrogen peroxide oxidation of 2-selenophene-boronic acid.121 However, in the 5-methyl-substituted system deboronation became such an important side reaction that 5-methyl-2-hydroxyselenophene had to be prepared by acid-catalyzed dealkylation of 5-methyl-2-fert-butoxy-selenophene. Both 2-hydroxy- and 5-methyl-2-hydroxyselenophene exist mainly as 3-selenolene-2-ones (93) and for the 5-methyl derivative it was possible to isolate the / ,y-unsaturated form (92) and follow the tautomeric isomerization. The activation parameters thus obtained were compared with those for the corresponding furan and thiophene systems. 

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