Imidazole and carboxylic acid

The observation that addition of imidazoles and carboxylic acids significantly improved the epoxidation reaction resulted in the development of Mn-porphyrin complexes containing these groups covalently linked to the porphyrin platform as attached pendant arms (11) [63]. When these catalysts were employed in the epoxidation of simple olefins with hydrogen peroxide, enhanced oxidation rates were obtained in combination with perfect product selectivity (Table 6.6, Entry 3). In contrast with epoxidations catalyzed by other metals, the Mn-porphyrin system yields products with scrambled stereochemistry the epoxidation of cis-stilbene with Mn(TPP)Cl (TPP = tetraphenylporphyrin) and iodosylbenzene, for example, generated cis- and trans-stilbene oxide in a ratio of 35 65. The low stereospecificity was improved by use of heterocyclic additives such as pyridines or imidazoles. The epoxidation system, with hydrogen peroxide as terminal oxidant, was reported to be stereospecific for ris-olefins, whereas trans-olefins are poor substrates with these catalysts. 

MacDonald, J.C., Dorrestein, PC., and Pilley, M.M., Design of supramolecular layers via self-assembly of imidazole and carboxylic acids, Cryst. Growth Des., 1, 29, 2001. 

Another type of supramolecular side-chain polymers (shown in Fig. lOB) is obtained by the complexation of functionalized mesogenic molecules with polymer backbones. The hydrogen-bonded complex of 37 is obtained by mixing poly(4-vinylpyridine) or poly(4-vinylpyridine-co-styrene) with mesogenic compounds terminated by a carboxylic acid moiety through a flexible spacer [84-88]. The hydrogen bonding between imidazole and carboxylic acid is also useful for the formation of supramolecular complexes. Polymeric complex 38 exhibits a smectic A phase from 10 to 65 °C [89]. 

End-functionalized mesogenic molecules are used to form the second type of supramolecular side-chain polymers (Figure 2(a) [ii], Figure 23) [97-108], Polymeric complex 28 has been prepared based on poly(4-vinylpyridine) [97], The hydrogen-bonding formation between imidazole and carboxylic acid moieties yields supramolecular side-chain polymers of 29 [103], which exhibit smectic A phases. The interactions of carboxylic acid/dialkylamine [104-106], phenol/amine [107], and hydroxyl/pyridine [108] were used for the preparation of the side-chain mesogenic complexes. 

TBDMSCl, imidazole, DMF, 25°, 10 h, high yields. This is the most common method for the introduction of the TBDMS group on alcohols with low steric demand. The method works best when the reactions are mn in very concentrated solutions. This combination of reagents also silylates phenols, hydroperoxides, and hydroxyl amines. Thiols, amines, and carboxylic acids are not effectively silylated under these conditions. ... 

The imidazole ring is a privileged structure in medicinal chemistry since it is found in the core structure of a wide range of pharmaceutically active compounds efficient methods for the preparation of substituted imidazole libraries are therefore of great interest. Recently, a rapid synthetic route to imidazole-4-carboxylic acids using Wang resin was reported by Henkel (Fig. 17) [64]. An excess aliphatic or aromatic amine was added to the commercially available Wang-resin-bound 3-Ar,M-(dimethylamino)isocyano-acrylate, and the mixture was heated in a sealed vial with microwave irradi-... 

A two-step mechanism must be assumed for this very valuable reaction of carboxylic acids with CDI.[9] Obviously the first step is a nucleophilic attack of the carboxylic acid or —depending on the acidity —the carboxylate ion on the carbonyl group of CDI, leading after elimination of imidazole to a mixed anhydride of imidazole-iV-carboxylic acid and the attacking carboxylic acid. This intermediate must have a very short life-time since it has not been detected down to — 50 °C. Rapid cleavage of CO2 from this mixed anhydride involves exclusively the carbonyl group linked to the imidazole unit If... 

Amides prepared from secondary amines and acylchloride/imidazole,[391 carboxylic acid/oxalyldiimidazole,[41 ] carboxylic acid/sulfinyldiimidazole[61 ] or isolated imidazo-... 

The outstanding inclusion ability and the carboxylic functions of host I raised the idea of co-erystallizing it with imidazole (Im) which, due to its versatile nature 114), is one of the frequently used components in enzyme active sites, generally presented by histidine. Formally, a system made of imidazole and an acid component may mimic two essential components of the so-called catalytic triad of the serine protease family of enzymes the acid function of Aspl02 and the imidazole nucleus of His57 115) (trypsin sequence numbering). The third (albeit essential) component of the triad corresponding to the alcohol function of Seri 95 was not considered in this attempt. This family of enzymes is of prime importance in metabolitic processes. 

The only problem for the matrix-isolation of 21 consisted in the non-availability of a reasonable diazo precursor molecule suited for this technique. But since we already had experience with the preparation of 2,3-dihydrothiazol-2-ylidene46 (see below) by photofragmentation of thiazole-2-carboxylic acid we tried the same method with imidazole-2-carboxylic acid (20). Indeed, irradiation of 20 with a wavelength of 254 nm leads to decarboxylation and the formation of a complex between carbene 21 and CO2. This is shown by the observation that the experimental IR spectrum fits only with the calculated spectrum of complex 21-CC>2 (calculated stabilization energy relative to its fragments 4.3 kcal mol-1). The type of fixation of CO2 to 21 is indicated in the formula S-21 C02. 

Irradiation of matrix-isolated imidazole-2-carboxylic acid gave the 2,3-dihydro-imidazol-2-ylidene-C02 complex (31) characterized by IR spectroscopy and calculated to lie 15.9 kcal mol above the starting material. A series of non-aromatic nucleophilic carbenes (32) were prepared by desulfurization of the corresponding thiones by molten potassium in boiling THF. The most hindered of the series (32 R = Bu) is stable indefinitely under exclusion of air and water and can be distilled without decomposition. The less hindered carbenes slowly dimerize to the corresponding alkenes. Stable aminoxy- and aminothiocarbenes (33 X = O, S) were prepared by deprotonation of iminium salts with lithium amide bases. The carbene carbon resonance appears at 260-297 ppm in the NMR spectrum and an X-ray structure determination of an aminooxycarbene indicated that electron donation from the nitrogen is more important than that from oxygen. These carbenes do not dimerize. 

Reduction of the carboxylic acid group passes through the intermediate aldehyde. For a number of examples in the heterocyclic series, the aldehyde becomes a major product because it is trapped as the hydrated vfc.-diol form. Examples include imidazole-2-caiboxylic acid [139], thiazole-2-carboxylic acid [140] and pyridine-4-carboxylic acid [141] reduced in dilute aqueous acid solution. Reduction of imidazole-4-carboxylic acid proceeds to the primary alcohol stage, the aldehyde intermediate is not isolated. Addition of boric acid and sodium sulphite to the electrolyte may allow the aldehyde intermediate to be trapped as a non-reducible complex, Salicylaldehyde had been obtained on a pilot plant scale in this way by... 

IM-COOH-OH cooperation. Polymers such as poly(4(5)-vinylimidazole-co-7-vinyl-7-butyrolactone), poly(IM-la), and poly(4(5)-vinylimidazole-co-acrylic acid-covinyl alcohol) derived from poly(4(5)-vinylimidazole-co-methyl acrylate-co-vinyl acetate), both of which contain imidazole, carboxylic acid and hydroxyl moieties are synthesized and studied as a model of a-chymotrypsin (29). The former has a relatively ordered sequence and the latter has a random one. Results are tabulated in Table 11. The polymers cited in the Tabel contain a similarly low quantity of imidazole moiety, so that the cooperation of two subsequent imidazole moieties need not be discussed. Polymers such as L-84, L-68, M-83 and A-84 have higher catalytic activities than the polymer V-82. This suggests that the catalytic activity of the imidazole moiety in the polymers is much promoted by the carboxylate moiety in the polymers. The catalytic activities of L-84 and L-68 which have an ordered sequence are more than twice as high as that of M-83, having a random sequence. From these results it is concluded that the introduction of the hydroxyl moiety which has little cooperative effect on the imidazole moiety in V-82 in this reaction conrfition into imidazole and carboxylate — containing polymer, increases... 

In most other reactions, the azolecarboxylic acids and their derivatives behave as expected (cf. the imidazole-3-carboxylic acid derivatives in Scheme 130), although some acid chlorides can be obtained only as hydrochlorides. 

A solution of 3,5-dimethyl-3H-imidazole-4-carboxylic acid (7.14 mmol) and 1,1 -carbonyl-diimidazole (10.7 mmol) in 35 ml DMF was stirred 3 hours at ambient temperature and then treated with A-hydroxy-acetamidine (9.18 mmol). The mixture was stirred an additional 16 hours at 80°C, then concentrated, and the residue dissolved in 30 ml acetic acid. This mixture was stirred 2 hours at 100°C and was then reconcentrated. The residue was then treated with 50 ml saturated NaHC03 solution and extracted seven times with 30 ml CH2C12. The extracts were washed with 70 ml brine, dried using MgS04, concentrated, and the product isolated in 61% yield as a white solid, mp = 95°C. 

Hydrolysis (especially with bromoacetic acid)28 of the dicarboxylic esters can be followed by decarboxylation and it is possible to remove one carboxyl group at a time to prepare the imidazole-4-carboxylic acid. The decarboxylation of imidazolecarboxylic acids has been discussed by Schipper and Day.2... 

A few years earlier, Herrmann et al. published a carboxylic ester functionalised imi-dazolium salt that was synthesised directly from imidazole and bromoacetic acid ethyl ester [216]. Owing to its method of synthesis the imidazolium salt is C -symmetric with two ester functional wingUp groups. Generation of the rhodium(I) and palladium(II) carbene complexes was realised by reaction of the imidazolium salt with a rhodium alkoxide precursor or with palladium(II) acetate in the presence of NaOEt and Nal (see Figure 3.76). The silver(I) oxide method had not been discussed in the literature at the time [11]. 

Imidazolecarboxylic acids are stable, crystalline compounds which form salts with metals, and which may exist in zwitterionic forms such as (198 Scheme 106). Such zwitterionic forms have been implicated in the decarboxylation mechanisms of the compounds. The carboxyl functions exert a pronounced base-weakening effect on the parent molecules, but it is surprising that a 5-bromo substituent in imidazole-4-carboxylic acids is not subject to ready nucleophilic displacement by CN or SOs . 

A reaction which is applicable to the synthesis of imidazoles substituted at C-4 by sulfur substituents is the interaction of a-chloro-a-phenyl thioketones (prepared from the corresponding diazoketones) with ammonia and carboxylic acids. Although the detailed reaction course is yet uncertain, it bears a close resemblance to the reactions of a-chloro ketones with amides. The method has been used to prepare 2-ethyl-4-methyl-5-phenylthioimidazole (145) using ammonia, propanoic acid and 1-chloro-l-phenylthiopropanone (Scheme 82). 

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