Heterocyclic compounds electrophilic substitution

A high density of electrons associated with atoms C(3) and C(5) of 1,4-dihydropyridines and 1,4-dihydropyrimidines is also observed when these heterocycles undergo electrophilic substitutions such as Friedel-Crafts [315, 316, 317, 318, 319, 320] and Vilsmeier [297, 321] reactions (Scheme 3.99). In [315] it was shown that treatment of dihydropyridines 371 with aroyl or acyl chlorides 372 in the presence of SnCl4 leads to acylation of the heterocycle at position 3 (compounds 373). Dihydropyridines 374 and dihydroazolopyrimidines 376 undergo Vilsmeier reaction with the formation of the corresponding derivatives 375 and 377. It is interesting that imine heterocycle 376 after Vilsmeier reaction exists in the enamine tautomeric form. The tautomerism of dihydroazines and factors influencing it will be discussed in detail in Sect. 3.8. 

Allylic alcohols can serve as 7t-allyl cation precursors to act as electrophiles in Sn reactions with a tethered O-nucleophile giving rise to the formation of spiroannulated tetrahydrofurans <2000TL3411>. Michael acceptors are also suitable electrophiles for the cyclization to tetrahydrofuran rings <2003T1613>. The Tsuji-Trost allylation has found widespread application in the synthesis of carbo- and heterocyclic compounds. Allylic substitution has been employed in the stereoselective synthesis of 2-vinyl-5-substituted tetrahydrofurans <2001H(54)419>. A formal total synthesis of uvaricin makes twofold use of the Tsuji-Trost reaction in a double cyclization to bis-tetrahydrofurans (Equation 73) <20010L1953>. 

In compounds with a fused benzene ring, electrophilic substitution on carbon usually occurs in the benzenoid ring in preference to the heterocyclic ring. Frequently the orientation of substitution in these compounds parallels that in naphthalene. Conditions are often similar to those used for benzene itself. The actual position attacked varies compare formulae (341)-(346) where the orientation is shown for nitration sulfonation is usually similar for reasons which are not well understood. 

The reactions of carbenes, which are apparently unique in displaying electrophilic character in strongly basic solutions, include substitution, addition to multiple bonds, and co-ordination with lone pairs of electrons to form unstable ylides. This last reaction is of obvious relevance to a consideration of the reactions of heterocyclic compounds with carbenes and will be summarized. 

Udenfriend et al. observed that aromatic compounds are hydroxyl-ated by a system consisting of ferrous ion, EDTA, ascorbic acid, and oxygend Aromatic and heteroaroinatic compounds are hydroxylated at the positions which are normally most reactive in electrophilic substitutions. For example, acetanilide gives rise exclusively to the o-and p-hydroxy isomers whereas quinoline gives the 3-hydroxy prod-uct. - The products of the reaction of this system w ith heterocyclic compounds are shown in Table XIII. 

The wide variation in the entropy factors for both the substituted phenyl and heterocyclic compounds and in particular for the methoxyphenyl and furan derivatives was considered to be strong evidence for solvent effects being predominant in determining the activation entropy. Consequently, discussion of the substituent effects in terms of electronic factors alone requires caution in this reaction. Caution is also needed since rates for the substituted phenyl compounds were only determined over a 20 °C range. The significance of entropy factors has also been indicated by the poor correlation of the data of the electrophilic reactivities of the heterocyclic compounds, as derived from protodemercuration, with the data for other electrophilic substitutions and related reactions572. 

Since thiophene derivatives, heterocyclic aromatic compounds, are sensitive toward electrophilic substitution reactions, the bromination of these compounds generally gives a mixture of mono-, di-, and other poly-substituted bromination products (ref. 19). However, we have recently found that BTMA Br3 is a useful... 

Besides the applications of the electrophilicity index mentioned in the review article [40], following recent applications and developments have been observed, including relationship between basicity and nucleophilicity [64], 3D-quantitative structure activity analysis [65], Quantitative Structure-Toxicity Relationship (QSTR) [66], redox potential [67,68], Woodward-Hoffmann rules [69], Michael-type reactions [70], Sn2 reactions [71], multiphilic descriptions [72], etc. Molecular systems include silylenes [73], heterocyclohexanones [74], pyrido-di-indoles [65], bipyridine [75], aromatic and heterocyclic sulfonamides [76], substituted nitrenes and phosphi-nidenes [77], first-row transition metal ions [67], triruthenium ring core structures [78], benzhydryl derivatives [79], multivalent superatoms [80], nitrobenzodifuroxan [70], dialkylpyridinium ions [81], dioxins [82], arsenosugars and thioarsenicals [83], dynamic properties of clusters and nanostructures [84], porphyrin compounds [85-87], and so on. 

An example of the first type of study is the cationic pol erization of alkenes and heterocyclic monomers in the presence of 2-alWlfurans. As discussed above, electrophilic substitution at C5 is quite facile with these compounds and one can therefore prepare monofunctional oligomers bearing a furanic end-group. By a judicious choice of experimental conditions this transfer reaction will predominate over all other chain-breaking events and virtually all the chains will have the same terminal structure, i.e. a 5-oligomer-2-al lfuran. Structure 32 illustrates this principle with isobutyl vinyl ether oligomers capped by 2-methylfuran ... 

This awareness in a short time led to new homolytic aromatic substitutions, characterized by high selectivity and versatility. Further developments along these lines can be expected, especially as regards reactions of nucleophilic radicals with protonated heteroaromatic bases, owing to the intrinsic interest of these reactions and to the fact that classical direct ionic substitution (electrophilic and nucleophilic) has several limitations in this class of compound and does not always offer alternative synthetic solutions. Homolytic substitution in heterocyclic compounds can no longer be considered the Cinderella of substitution reactions. 

A-Amine oxides can be reduced (deoxygenated) to tertiary amines. Such a reaction is very desirable, especially in aromatic nitrogen-containing heterocycles where conversion to amine oxides makes possible electrophilic substitution of the aromatic rings in different positions than it occurs in the parent heterocyclic compounds. The reduction is very easy and is accomplished by catalytic hydrogenation over palladium [736, 737], by borane [738], by iron in... 

In contrast to the ease of reaction of ring nitrogen atoms in 77-deficient six-membered heterocycles with electrophiles, electrophilic heteroaromatic substitution at carbon of the unsubstituted compounds proceeds only under very drastic conditions and yields of products are usually very poor. This is also true with pyridinium, pyrylium and thiopyrylium salts,... 

Examples of electrophilic substitution (other than protonation) at the heterocyclic ring of benz- and dibenz-azepines appear to be confined to a few Vilsmeier reactions. 8-Chloro-l//-l-benzazepin-2-one with a mixture of DMF and POCl3 yields the 2,8-dichloro aldehyde (106) (72CPB1325). Under similar conditions Ar-mesyl-4,5-dihydro-3//-3-benzazepine formylates at the 1-position (107 R1 = CHO, R2 = H) (71BSF3985). In contrast, (V-mesyl-1,2,4,5-tetrahydro-3/7-3 -benzazepin-1 -one yields a mixture of the 1-chloro dihydro compound (107 R1 = Cl, R2 = H) and the chloro aldehyde (107 R1 = Cl, R2 = CHO). 

In agreement with MO calculations (V-acylation of 5H- dibenz[6,/]azepine alters considerably the pattern of electrophilic substitution. In the N-unsubstituted heterocycle the sites of electrophilic substitution are at C-2 and C-8 i.e. ortho and para to the free NH see Section 5.16.3.9.1). However, as predicted theoretically, IV-acylation deactivates the car-bocyclic nuclei towards substitution via mesomers of structure (32). As a result Friedel-Crafts acetylation furnishes the 5,10-diacetyl derivative (108). Electrophilic bromination (Br2/CHC13), unlike the free radical process (see Section 5.16.3.7), yields the 10,11-dibromo compound. In contrast, nitration of the (V-acetyl derivative at low temperature affords only the 3-nitro isomer (74CRV101). 

Reissert compounds (cf Section 3.2.1.6.8.iv) can be deprotonated (NaH/HCONMe2) to give anions (e.g. 507) which react with electrophiles to give intermediates (508) which can be hydrolyzed to substituted heterocycles (509). Electrophiles utilized include alkyl and reactive aryl halides and carbonyl compounds. 

---