Heck reaction pyrazines

As will be seen in this chapter and in the rest of the book, the Heck reaction and its numerous variations represent a fantastically powerful set of tools available to the heterocyclic chemist. Although most Heck chemistry that involves pyrroles is intramolecular or entails synthesis of the pyrrole ring, a few intermolecular Heck reactions of pyrroles are known. Simple pyrroles (pyrrole, A-methylpyrrole, A-(phenylsulfonyl)pyrrole) react with 2-chloro-3,6-dialkylpyrazines under Heck conditions to give mixtures of C-2 and C-3 pyrrole-substituted pyrazines in low... 

The vinyl triflate of Komfeld s ketone has been subjected to Heck reactions with methyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, and methyl 3-(Af-rerf-butoxycarbonyl-lV-methyl)amino-2-methylenepropionate leading to a formal synthesis of lysergic acid [259]. A similar Heck reaction between l-(phenylsulfonyl)indol-5-yl triflate and dehydroalanine methyl ester was described by this research group [260]. Chloropyrazines undergo Heck couplings with both indole and 1-tosylindole, and these reactions are discussed in the pyrazine Chapter [261], Rajeswaran and Srinivasan described an interesting arylation of bromomethyl indole 229 with arenes [262]. Subsequent desulfurization and hydrolysis furnishes 2-arylmethylindoles 230. Bis-indole 231 was also prepared in this study. 

Although the heteroaryl Heck reactions of chloropyrazines with pyrrole itself were low-yielding for both mono- and bis-arylation products, better yields were obtained for N-phenylsulfonylpyrrole. Bulkier alkyl substituents on the pyrazine ring promoted the formation of C(3)-substituted pyrroles. The C(3)-substituted pyrrole 64 was the major product (62%) for the coupling of 1 and Al-phenylsulfonylpyrrole, while C(2)-substituted pyrrole 63- was a minor product (15%). 

Drawn from these examples it is apparent that controlling the chemose-lectivity in inter-intermolecular Heck-Diels-Alder reactions of two different alkenes can be tedious if the alkenes show comparable reactivities. Nevertheless, the stepwise approach was realized in several other cases. In a synthesis of a derivative of cephalostatin 1 containing a central benzene instead of the pyrazine ring, Winterfeldt et al. linked two steroidal systems by a Heck coupling and subsequently performed high pressure Diels-Alder reactions of the conjugated diene with electron-deficient alkynes [34], Another example, reported by Hayashi et al., involves a selective Heck reaction of a bromoglu-cal with ethylene or acrylic acid derivatives followed by cycloadditions with maleic anhydride or N-phenylmaleimide [35]. 

Some synthetic approaches to pyrazines relied on metal-assisted reactions. A synthesis of 6-substituted 5H-pyrrolol2,3-bJpyrazines via Pd-catalyzed heteroannulation from W-(3-chloropyrazin-2-yl)methanesulfonamide and alkynes was developed <04TL8087>, and 3- and 5-substituted 2(l//)-pyrazinones were prepared by Suzuki and Heck reactions using 3,5-dichloro-2(l//)-pyrazinones <04TL1885>. An improved synthesis of 6-substituted-5//-pyrrolo 2,3-iiJ-pyrazines via microwave-assisted Pd-catalyzed heteroannulation was developed <04TL8631>, and the reaction of a-diazo-P-keto esters with Boc amino acid amides in the presence of a Rh catalyst gave, after air oxidation, pyrazin-6-ones 111, which were then converted into tetrasubstituted pyrazines 112 <04OL4627>. 

A study of the a-arylation of diazine mono iV-oxides, under Heck-like conditions, also gave emphasis to pyrazines but a number of examples using pyrimidines and pyridazines were also described (Scheme 1). A wide range of aryl chlorides, bromides and iodides was used and the products were easily deoxygenated by catalytic reduction. An interesting feature was the use of a copper additive, which was only required for the pyrimidine reactions, to give a very substantial improvement in yield <06AG(I)7781>. 

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