Tautomerism, 2-hydroxypyridine

Chou. P.-T, Wie, C.-Y. and Hung, F.-T. (1997) Conjugated dual hydrogen bonds mediating 2-pyridone/2-hydroxypyridine tautomerism. J. Phys. Chem. B, 101, 9119-9126. 

Pyrazol-3-one 392 reacts with arylidene malononitriles 393a-c in basic ethanolic medium to yield the 6-(3-oxopyrazol-4-yl)-2-oxo-l,2,3,4-tetrahydropyridine/ 2-hydroxy-6-(3-oxopyrazol-4-yl)-3,4-dihydropyridine adducts 397 398a-c in a 1 1 ratio (87AP140) (Scheme 109). The mechanism is assumed to proceed via intermediate 396 formed from Michael adduct 394 or possible isomer 395. The pyran derivative 396 rearranges to the pyrid-2(l//)-one/2-hydroxypyridine tautomeric mixture 397/398. 

Pyridones and other six-membered compounds (functional tautomerism). The pyridone /hydroxypyridine tautomerism (76AHCS1, p. 87), especially 2-pyridone (15a)/2-hydroxypyridine (15b), has received more attention from theoreticians than any other example of tautomerism, probably in part because it is a simple model for biologically important molecules such as thymine, cytosine, and uracil (Scheme 8). 

The overall influences favoring OH forms in pyridinone-hydroxypyridine tautomerism have been well summarized (76AHC(S1)71>. 

Table 11 summarizes the main results on the tautomerism of mono-hydroxy-, -mercapto-, -amino- and -methyl-azines and their benzo derivatives, in water. At first sight the equilibrium between 2-hydroxypyridine (71) and pyridin-2-one (72) is one between a benzenoid and a non-benzenoid molecule respectively (71a 72a). However, the pyridinone evidently... 

Repeat your analysis for tautomeric equilibria between 4-hydroxypyridine and 4-pyridone, 2-hydroxypyrimidine and 2-pyrimidone and 4-hydroxypyrimidine and 4-pyrimidone. For each, identify the favored (lower-energy) tautomer, and then use equation (1) to calculate the ratio of tautomers present at equilibrium. Point out any major differences among the four systems and rationalize what you observe. (Hint Compare dipole moments and electrostatic potential maps of the two pyridones and the two pyrimidones. How are these related to molecular stability )... 

Many of the properties oj -hydroxypyridines are typical of phenols. It was long assumed that they existed exclusively in the hydroxy form, and early physical measurements seemed to confirm this. For example, the ultraviolet spectrum of a methanolic solution of 3-hydroxypyridine is very similar to that of the 3-methoxy analog, and the value of the dipole moment of 3-hydroxypyridine obtained in dioxane indicates little, if any, zwitterion formation. However, it has now become clear that the hydroxy form is greatly predominant only in solvents of low dielectric constant. Comparison of the pK values of 3-hydroxypyridine with those of the alternative methylated forms indicated that the two tautomeric forms are of comparable stability in aqueous solution (Table II), and this was confirmed using ultraviolet spectroscopy. The ratios calculated from the ultraviolet spectral data are in good agreement with those de-... 

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... 

These considerations show that caution must be exercised in applying of the Hammett equation to systems which are known to involve tautomeric equilibria, e.g. the pyridinecarboxylic acids or y-hydroxypyridines. If in such systems the experimental p L "values are linear in a, there is at least a strong suggestion that Krp is insensitive to the nature of the substituents. Some applications of these ideas in the azobenzene series have proved of considerable interest. ... 

It is well accepted that tautomerism relates to the equilibrium between two or more different tautomers e.g., it corresponds to determining if the structure of a compound is, for instance, a pyridone or an hydroxypyridine. The kinetic aspects are often neglected and when the tautomeric equilibrium constant, Kt, is equal to 1 (e.g., for imidazole), the problem may seem... 

Work under this classification (76AHCS1, p. 31) continues to be sparse. Heat-of-solution data provide a useful method for estimating A// for tautomeric processes in nonaqueous solvents, as was illustrated in the case of 2-pyridone 15a/2-hydroxypyridine 15b equilibrium (76TL2685). Heats of dehydration of 4-hydroxypyrazolines into pyrazoles and 5-hydroxyisoxazolines... 

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