Imidazole 1-methyl-4-carbaldehyde

The synthesis of losartan potassium (1) by the process research chemists at Merck is outlined in the following (Griffiths et ak, 1999 Larsen et al., 1994). Phenyltetrazole (8) is protected as the trityl phenyltetrazole 9 (Scheme 9.3). Ortho-lithiation of 9 followed by quenching with triisopropyl borate afforded boronic acid 10 after treatment with aqueous ammonium chloride. Reaction of glycine (11) with methyl pentanimidate (12) in a methanol/water mixture yielded (pentanimidoylamino) acetic acid (13), which underwent a Vilsmeier reaction with phosphorous oxychloride in DMF followed by hydrolysis to give imidazole-4-carbaldehyde 14 in moderate yield. 

Reaction of glycine methyl ester with imidate 1293 under optimized conditions affords the rather unstable imidazolinone 1294 in ca. 90% yield (Scheme 329). Treatment of 1294 with POCI3/DMF followed by aqueous work-up gives 2-butyl-4-chloro-l//-imidazole-5-carbaldehyde 1295 in good yield <1999JOC8084, 2004S506>. 

This trend is also observed in the reactions with nitrogen- and carbon-centered nucleophiles (2001H425). Thus, the reaction of 109 with sodium indolyl in DMF affords methyl 2-(indol-l-yl)indole-3-carboxylate (188, 77%). In better yield, 2-(indol-l-yl)indole-3-carbaldehyde (189, 95%) is formed in the corresponding reaction (99H1157) of 115a (Scheme 28). Sodium imidazolyl reacts with 109 in DMF at 60°C to afford methyl 2-(imidazol-l-yl)indole-3-carboxylate (190,28%), methyl indole-3-carboxylate (191,11 %), and unreacted 109 (36%). In contrast, under the same conditions, 110 and 115a provide higher yields of methyl 2-(imidazol-... 

Vinyl and ethynyl groups attached to an imidazole ring can be catalytically reduced to the saturated (or less unsaturated) species and cleaved by oxidation. The corresponding 4-carbaldehyde is formed in 71% yield when l-methyl-2,5-diphenyl-4-styrylimidazole is oxidized with osmium tetroxide. However, they may not react like aliphatic alkenes and alkynes not all addition reactions occur normally, Michael additions are known, and the compounds can act as dienophiles in DielsAlder reactions (e.g., Scheme 132). 

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