Hydroxypyridine 1-oxides, tautomerism

The pKa values of 4-hydroxypyridine 1-oxide (51 52) and the methylated derivatives of both tautomeric forms indicate that the parent compound exists as a mixture containing comparable amounts of both forms in aqueous solution. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectra support this conclusion, but the ultraviolet spectra of the tautomeric compound and both alkylated derivatives are too similar to give information concerning the structural nature of the former. ... 

Hydroxypyridine 1-oxide is insoluble in chloroform and other suitable solvents, and, although the solid-state infrared spectrum indicates that strong intermolecular hydrogen bonding occurs, no additional structural conclusions could be reached. Jaffe has attempted to deduce the structure of 4-hydroxypyridine 1-oxide using the Hammett equation and molecular orbital calculations. This tautomeric compound reacts with diazomethane to give both the 1- and 4-methoxy derivatives, " and the relation of its structure to other chemical reactions has been discussed by Hayashi. ... 

Fixed derivatives of the two tautomeric forms of 2-hydroxypyridine 1-oxide do not give cations of similar structure which precludes the use of pKa measurements to elucidate its structure (cf. preceding... 

Hydroxypyridine fV-oxides are also tautomeric the 4-isomer exists in about equal amounts of forms 812 and 813. In 4-hydroxypyrones and -pyridones, the -one (e.g., 814) structure is favored relative to the -one. -Hydroxy-4-pyrones such as kojic acid 815 show phenolic properties. - and -Hydroxy cations (e.g., 816) are the conjugate acids of pyridones and pyrones and are considered in the next section. 

Hydroxypyridine (201) itself possesses latent 1,3-dipolar character because of tautomerism involving 1-protiopyridinium 3-oxide (202). Aprotic diazotization of anthranilic acid in the presence of 201 gives two heterocyclic products [196 (20%) and 203 (23%)] which were isolated in separate experiments run under almost identical conditions.103,105 Formation of the bis-adduct 196 must involve cycloaddition of benzyne to 202 and N-phenylation and there is some evidence from related additions to 2//-phthalazin-1 -one (208) that the steps occur in this order.3 7b Formation of the isocoumarin structure 203 apparently involves electrophilic substitution of 201 by the benzyne precursor 5, followed by lactonization. From 3-hydroxy-6-methylpyridine compounds analogous to 196 and 203 were also obtained (10 and 29%, respectively). 3-Hydroxyquinoline afforded only the corresponding isocoumarin 204 (20%) whereas 4-hydroxyisoquinoline gave 4-phenoxyisoquinoline (12%) and the bis-adduct 205 (12%) with benzyne.103,105... 

Proton resonance spectroscopy has been used to study the tautomerism of 4-hydroxypyridine and its 1-oxide, with results in agreement with those obtained by other physical methods discussed here. Resonance spectroscopy also indicated that the cations of 4-hydroxypyridine, 1-methyl-4-pyridone and 4-methoxypyridine are of the type (32), that of 4-hydroxy-pyridine 1-oxide as (33), and that 2-pyridone cation is protonated on... 

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