Furan reactivity

This paper describes novel approaches to the exploitation of both furan monomers and a specific facet of furan reactivity in order to synthesize either conjugated oligomers incorporating the heterocycle in their backbone, or polymeric structures which can be crosslinked and returned to linear structures through the reversible chemistry of the Diels-Alder reaction. The first family of compounds showed interesting features in terms of conductivity, luminescence, mesogenic character and photoactivity. The second class of materials owes its interest to the possibility of recycling otherwise intractable polymers, e.g. tires, thanks to a simple thermal process. 

A. Chatterjee, T. Iwasaki and T. Ebina. 2 1 Dioctahedral smectites as a selective sorhent for dioxins and furans Reactivity index study. J. Phys. Chem. A 106, 2002, 641. 

Heteroaromatics such as furan, thiophene, and even the 2-pyridone 280 react with acrylate to form 281(244-246]. Benzene and heteroaromatic rings are introduced into naphthoquinone (282) as an alkene component[247]. The pyrrole ring is more reactive than the benzene ring in indole. 

The oxidative coupling of thiophene, furan[338] and pyrrole[339,340] is also possible. The following order of reactivity was observed in the coupling of substituted furans[338] R = H > Me > CHO > CO Me > CH(OAc)i > CO2H. The cross-coupling of furans and thiophenes with arene is possible, and 4-phenylfurfural (397) is the main product of the cross-coupling of furfural and benzene[341]. 

Methyl-5-aminothia2ole-4-carboxylic acid is diazotized with isoamyl nitrite in the presence of furan in 1.2-dichloroethane to give a mixture of products 163 (53%), 164 (33%). 165 (11%), and 166 (3%) (Scheme 104) (334). This reactivity experiment was carried out to examine the possibility of the occurrence of 4,5-dehydrothiazole (hetaryne). Hetaryne intermediates seem not to be involved as an intermediate in the reaction. The formation of 163 through 166 can be rationalized in terms of the intermediacy of 166a. 

Hydroxy-THISs react with electron-deficient alkynes to give nonisol-able adducts that extrude carbonyl sulfide, affording pyrroles (23). Compound 16 (X = 0) seems particularly reactive (Scheme 16) (25). The cycloaddition to benzyne yields isoindoles in low- yield. Further cyclo-addition between isoindole and benzyne leads to an iminoanthracene as the main product (Scheme 17). The cycloadducts derived from electron-deficient alkenes are stable (23, 25) unless highly strained. Thus the two adducts, 18a (R = H, R = COOMe) and 18b (R = COOMe, R = H), formed from 7, both extrude furan and COS under the reaction conditions producing the pyrroles (19. R = H or COOMe) (Scheme 18). Similarly, the cycloadduct formed between 16 (X = 0) and dimethylfumarate... 

Section 12 18 Heterocyclic aromatic compounds may be more reactive or less reactive than benzene Pyridine is much less reactive than benzene but pyrrole furan and thiophene are more reactive... 

The balance between aromatic and aUphatic reactivity is affected by the type of substituents on the ring. Furan functions as a diene in the Diels-Alder reaction. With maleic anhydride, furan readily forms 7-oxabicyclo [2.2.1]hept-5-ene-2,3-dicarboxyhc anhydride in excellent yield [5426-09-5] (4). 

The reactive species that iaitiate free-radical oxidatioa are preseat ia trace amouats. Exteasive studies (11) of the autoxidatioa mechanism have clearly estabUshed that the most reactive materials are thiols and disulfides, heterocycHc nitrogen compounds, diolefins, furans, and certain aromatic-olefin compounds. Because free-radical formation is accelerated by metal ions of copper, cobalt, and even iron (12), the presence of metals further compHcates the control of oxidation. It is difficult to avoid some metals, particularly iron, ia fuel systems. 

The five-membered ring heterocycles possess Diels-Alder reactivity of varying degree. This is most pronounced in the case of furan and benzo[c] fused heterocycles such as isoindole. In this capacity they are functioning as heterocyclic analogues of cyclopentadiene, and high Diels-Alder reactivity can be correlated with low aromaticity. 

The high reactivity of pyrroles to electrophiles is similar to that of arylamines and is a reflection of the mesomeric release of electrons from nitrogen to ring carbons. Reactions with electrophilic reagents may result in addition rather than substitution. Thus furan reacts with acetyl nitrate to give a 2,5-adduct (33) and in a similar fashion an adduct (34) is obtained from the reaction of ethyl vinyl ether with hydrogen bromide. 

The reactivity sequence furan > tellurophene > selenophene > thiophene is thus the same for all three reactions and is in the reverse order of the aromaticities of the ring systems assessed by a number of different criteria. The relative rate for the trifluoroacetylation of pyrrole is 5.3 x lo . It is interesting to note that AT-methylpyrrole is approximately twice as reactive to trifluoroacetylation as pyrrole itself. The enhanced reactivity of pyrrole compared with the other monocyclic systems is also demonstrated by the relative rates of bromination of the 2-methoxycarbonyl derivatives, which gave the reactivity sequence pyrrole>furan > selenophene > thiophene, and by the rate data on the reaction of the iron tricarbonyl-complexed carbocation [C6H7Fe(CO)3] (35) with a further selection of heteroaromatic substrates (Scheme 5). The comparative rates of reaction from this substitution were 2-methylindole == AT-methylindole>indole > pyrrole > furan > thiophene (73CC540). 

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... 

Quantitative data are available on the effect on electrophilic substitution reactions of the fusion of a benzene ring to the b face of a furan or thiophene ring. The overall effect is to decrease reactivity this decrease is much more pronounced in the case of fusion to a furan than to a thiophene ring. As a consequence the overall reactivities of benzo[Z)]furan and benzo[Z)]thiophene are approximately equal 71AHC(13)235). 

In view of the overall increased reactivity of furan compared with thiophene it would be anticipated that furan would be less regioselective in its reactions with electrophiles than thiophene. Possible reasons for the high regioselectivity of furan in electrophilic substitution reactions include complex formation between substrates and reagents and the ability of heteroatoms to assist in the stabilization of cationic intermediates (80CHE1195). 

Furan can also be acylated by the Vilsmeier-Haack method. Acylation of furans can also be carried out with acid anhydrides and acyl halides in the presence of Friedel-Crafts catalysts (BF3-Et20, SnCU or H3PO4). Reactive anhydrides such as trifluoroacetic anhydride, however, require no catalyst. Acetylation with acetyl p-toluenesulfonate gives high yields. 

By using an aromatic aldehyde carrying an electron-releasing group the intermediate cation can be stabilized. This is the basis of the widely-used Ehrlich colour reaction for pyrroles, indoles and furans which have a free reactive nuclear position (Scheme 21). 

An important extension of these reactions is the Mannich reaction, in which aminomethyl-ation is achieved by the combination of formaldehyde, a secondary amine and acetic acid (Scheme 24). The intermediate immonium ion generated from formaldehyde, dimethyl-amine and acetic acid is not sufficiently reactive to aminomethylate furan, but it will form substitution products with alkylfurans. The Mannich reaction appears to be still more limited in its application to thiophene chemistry, although 2-aminomethylthiophene has been prepared by reaction of thiophene with formaldehyde and ammonium chloride. The use of A,iV-dimethyf (methylene) ammonium chloride (Me2N=CH2 CF) has been recommended for the iV,iV-dimethylaminomethylation of thiophenes (83S73). 

Competitive metallation experiments with IV-methylpyrrole and thiophene and with IV-methylindole and benzo[6]thiophene indicate that the sulfur-containing heterocycles react more rapidly with H-butyllithium in ether. The comparative reactivity of thiophene and furan with butyllithium depends on the metallation conditions. In hexane, furan reacts more rapidly than thiophene but in ether, in the presence of tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA), the order of reactivity is reversed (77JCS(P1)887). Competitive metallation experiments have established that dibenzofuran is more easily lithiated than dibenzothiophene, which in turn is more easily lithiated than A-ethylcarbazole. These compounds lose the proton bound to carbon 4 in dibenzofuran and dibenzothiophene and the equivalent proton (bound to carbon 1) in the carbazole (64JOM(2)304). 

Furan has the greater reactivity in cycloaddition reactions compared with pyrrole and thiophene the latter is the least reactive diene. However, A -substituted pyrroles show enhanced dienic character compared with the parent heterocycle. 

Benzo[Z)]furans and indoles do not take part in Diels-Alder reactions but 2-vinyl-benzo[Z)]furan and 2- and 3-vinylindoles give adducts involving the exocyclic double bond. In contrast, the benzo[c]-fused heterocycles function as highly reactive dienes in [4 + 2] cycloaddition reactions. Thus benzo[c]furan, isoindole (benzo[c]pyrrole) and benzo[c]thiophene all yield Diels-Alder adducts (137) with maleic anhydride. Adducts of this type are used to characterize these unstable molecules and in a similar way benzo[c]selenophene, which polymerizes on attempted isolation, was characterized by formation of an adduct with tetracyanoethylene (76JA867). 

Benzo[c]furan, generated in situ in boiling xylene in the presence of dimethylmaleic anhydride, gives mainly the exo adduct furan itself fails to react with this dienophile (Scheme 53) (82JOC4011. l,3-Diphenylbenzo[c]furan is also a reactive diene but the corresponding 1,3-dimesityl derivative is inert to several dienophiles, even under forcing conditions (82CC766). 

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. 

A quantitative study has been made on the effect of a methyl group in the 2-position of five-membered heteroaromatic compounds on the reactivity of position 5 in the formylation and trifluoroacetylation reaction. The order of sensitivity to the activating effect of the substituent is furan > tellurophene >selenophene = thiophene (77AHC(2l)ll9). 

Rate data are also available for the solvolysis of l-(2-heteroaryl)ethyl acetates in aqueous ethanol. Side-chain reactions such as this, in which a delocalizable positive charge is developed in the transition state, are frequently regarded as analogous to electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions. In solvolysis the relative order of reactivity is tellurienyl> furyl > selenienyl > thienyl whereas in electrophilic substitutions the reactivity sequence is furan > tellurophene > selenophene > thiophene. This discrepancy has been explained in terms of different charge distributions in the transition states of these two classes of reaction (77AHC(21)119>. 

The carbonyl reactivity of pyrrole-, furan-, thiophene- and selenophene-2- and -3-carbaldehydes is very similar to that of benzaldehyde. A quantitative study of the reaction of iV-methylpyrrole-2-carbaldehyde, furan-2-carbaldehyde and thiophene-2-carbaldehyde with hydroxide ions showed that the difference in reactivity between furan- and thiophene-2-carbaldehydes was small but that both of these aldehydes were considerably more reactive... 

Acyl-pyrroles, -furans and -thiophenes in general have a similar pattern of reactivity to benzenoid ketones. Acyl groups in 2,5-disubstituted derivatives are sometimes displaced during the course of electrophilic substitution reactions. iV-Alkyl-2-acylpyrroles are converted by strong anhydrous acid to A-alkyl-3-acylpyrroles. Similar treatment of N-unsubstituted 2- or 3-acyIpyrroles yields an equilibrium mixture of 2- and 3-acylpyrroles pyrrolecarbaldehydes also afford isomeric mixtures 81JOC839). The probable mechanism of these rearrangements is shown in Scheme 65. A similar mechanism has been proposed for the isomerization of acetylindoles. 

Acid-catalyzed hydrogen exchange is used as a measure of the comparative reactivity of different aromatic rings (see Table 5). These reactions take place on the neutral molecules or, at high acidities, on the cations. At the preferred positions the neutral isoxazole, isothiazole and pyrazole rings are all considerably more reactive than benzene. Although the 4-position of isothiazole is somewhat less reactive than the 4-position in thiophene, a similar situation does not exist with isoxazole-furan ring systems. 

The reactivities of the isoxazoles are compared with those of benzene and some five-membered ring heterocycles in Table 7. Isoxazole is more reactive than benzene (by 4.3 log units) and isothiazole (0.8) and is less reactive than 1-methylpyrazole, furan, thiophene and 1-methylpyrrole. A 5-methyl substituent activates the nucleus more than does a... 

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