Isoxazoles with nucleophiles

Benzisoxazoles undergo electrophilic substitution in the benzo ring, but with nucleophiles the reaction occurs in the isoxazole moiety, often leading to salicylonitriles with 3-unsubstituted systems. The isomeric 2,1-benzisoxazoles are characterized by the ease with which they may be converted into other heterocyclic systems. 

Isoxazolium salts can be prepared by reaction with alkyl iodides or sulfates, although the low basicity of isoxazoles and their sensitivity to nucleophilic attack may necessitate special care. Isoxazolium salts containing bulky Af-substituents can be prepared by the reaction of isoxazoles with alcohols in the presence of perchloric acid. For example, the reaction of 3,5-dimethylisoxazole (53) with some alcohols in the presence of 70% perchloric acid gave isoxazolium salts, (54a) in 29%, (54b) in 57% and (54c) in 82% yield 79AHC(25)147, 68JOC2397). Attempts to quaternize 3,5-dimethyl-4-nitroisoxazole failed 71JCS(B)2365). 

Oxazinium and -thiazinium cations are 67r-aromatic systems which readily react with nucleophiles at C-6. Ring opening is normally followed by recyclization so that a variety of heterocyclic systems are then formed. The behaviour of the oxygen and sulfur compounds are almost identical and so, as the latter are usually prepared from the former, it is not surprising that most attention has focussed on the reactions of 1,3-oxazinium species (72S333). These versatile synthons react with ammonia, for example, to give pyrimidines, while hydrazines afford pyrazoles and hydroxylamine produces isoxazoles (Scheme 20). 

B. Reactions of Isoxazoles and Isoxazolium Salts with Nucleophiles.170... 

Isoxazolium salts can be prepared by appropriate general methods, although the low basicity of the isoxazoles and their sensitivity to nucleophilic attack may necessitate special care. The explosive nature of isoxazolium perchlorates must be noted.125 The preparation of isoxazolium salts containing bulky N-substituents can be very difficult, and the particular utility of such compounds in synthesis (see Section III,B,2) has prompted the development of new methods for preparing them. A noteworthy route involving the reaction of the isoxazole with a carbenium ion, formed from a suitable alcohol, is exemplified in Eq. (18).30,126... 

Hydrogen atoms at the 3- and 5-positions of isoxazoles are readily removed as protons. Such reactions, with nucleophilic reagents acting as bases, usually result in ring opening. When the 3- and 5-positions are blocked, deprotonation at an unsubstituted 4-position can lead to metalla-tion by, for example, n-butyllithium, as in Eqs. (19)-(21).153-155... 

The cleavage proceeds under extremely mild conditions in aqueous solution at room temperature and can therefore be used for complicated syntheses. The mechanism of this reaction proved to be very complicated and has been elucidated only recently. The ring opening of quaternary salts of trisubstituted isoxazoles by nucleophiles proceeds under similar conditions, and the mechanism of this reaction was extensively studied by Kohler et ah193-195 The authors claimed that the reaction consists of addition of the anion either at C-3 of the ring (if this is unsubstituted) or at C-5 (with 3,4,5-tri-... 

The formation of pyrylium salts from methyl(ene) ketones and 1,3-diketones, e.g., of 2,4,6-triphenylpyrylium from acetophenone and dibenzoylmethane, has an interesting counterpart in several reactions of pyrylium salts. With nucleophiles like phenylhydrazine,353 hydroxylamine,353 or benzylmagnesium chloride,178-180 2,4,6-triphenylpyrylium forms unstable 2,4-dien-l-ones or 4 -pyrans, which rearrange easily to more stable pyrazolines, isoxazolines, or 2H-pyrans on treatment with strong acids, both types of product split off acetophenone, yielding 1,3,5-triphenylpyrazole, 3,5-diphenyl-isoxazole, and 1,3-diphenylnaphthalene, respectively. These same products can be obtained directly from the above nucleophiles and dibenzoylmethane.63,354-357 The condensation of methyl(ene) ketones with 1,3-diketones yielding pyrylium salts can, therefore, be considered reversible in a certain sense. 

Isothiazoles react more slowly with nucleophiles than isoxazoles. They are not affected by alkali hydroxides or alkoxides. 2-Alkylisothiazolium salts are more reactive. By the action of aqueous alkali hydroxide, ring-opening occurs with formation of polymeric products. Carbanions cause ring-opening by nucleophilic attack on the S-atom [109], e.g. ... 

In spite of the low r-electron density on the C-atoms, 1,2,5-oxadiazoles do not react at all or only slowly with nucleophiles. Nucleophiles which are also strong bases, e.g. sodium hydroxide in methanol, bring about ring-opening to form sodium salts of a-oximinonitriles. The mechanism corresponds to that occurring in the analogous reaction of isoxazoles (see p 139). 

The use of oximes as nucleophiles can be quite perplexing in view of the fact that nitrogen or oxygen may react. Alkylation of hydroxylamines can therefore be a very complex process which is largely dependent on the steric factors associated with the educts. Reproducible and predictable results are obtained in intramolecular reactions between oximes and electrophilic carbon atoms. Amides, halides, nitriles, and ketones have been used as electrophiles, and various heterocycles such as quinazoline N-oxide, benzodiayepines, and isoxazoles have been obtained in excellent yields under appropriate reaction conditions. 

Isoxazoles are also rather stable to nucleophilic attack by OH at carbon. For reactions with base at a ring hydrogen atom, leading, for example, to ring opening of isoxazoles, see Section 4.02.1.7.1. 

Isoxazoles unsubstituted in the 3-position react with hydroxide or ethoxide ions to give )3-keto nitriles (243) -> (244). This reaction involves nucleophilic attack at the 3-CH group. 1,2-Benzisoxazoles unsubstituted in the 3-position similarly readily give salicylyl nitriles (67AHC(8)277), and 5-phenyl-l,3,4-oxadiazole (245) is rapidly converted in alkaline solution into benzoylcyanamide (246) (61CI(L)292). A similar cleavage is known for 3-unsubstituted pyrazoles and indazoles the latter yield o-cyanoanilines. 

Chloro-5-arylisoxazoles undergo nucleophilic displacement with alkoxide ion. Halogen atoms in the 5-position of the isoxazole nucleus are readily displaced if an activating group is present in the 4-position (63AHC(2)365). 

Isoxazoles are susceptible to attack by nucleophiles, the reactions involving displacement of a substituent, addition to the ring, or proton abstraction with subsequent ring-opening. Isoxazolium salts are even more susceptible to attack by a variety of nucleophiles, providing useful applications of the isoxazole nucleus in organic synthesis. Especially useful is the reductive cleavage of isoxazoles, which may be considered as masked 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds or enaminoketones. 

The action of nucleophilic reagents with isoxazoles can take a number of courses involving (i) nucleophilic addition to the ring (ii) nucleophilic replacement of a substituent and (iii) deprotonation. Other processes such as thermal or photochemical reactions may precede reaction with a nucleophile (see Section 4.16.3.1.2). 

Isoxazole, 3-acetyl-4-chloro-5-methyl-oxidation, 6, 27, 53 Isoxazole, 3-acetyl-4,5-dimethyl-oxidation, 6, 27, 53 Isoxazole, 5-acetyl-3-methoxy-reactions, 6, 53 Isoxazole, 3-acyl-furazans from, 6, 417 nucleophilic attack, S, 93 reactions with bases, 6, 30... 

Previous reviews on the chemistry of isoxazole dealt primarily with the synthetic routes and the nucleophilic cleavage of isoxazole derivatives. The first part of the present review is concerned with new investigations in the synthetic field, but the main attention is devoted to a study of the properties of isoxazoles. The review covers studies undertaken during this decade though some earlier works are mentioned when necessary. No complete coverage of the chemistry of partly or fully reduced isoxazoles and their oxo derivatives is attempted, but those aspects of the chemistry of isoxazolines and isoxazolidines that are closely related to the problems under discussion are also mentioned. 

It was not until 1940 that the sulfonation of alkylisoxazoles by heating them with chlorosulfonic acid was reported. This gave a mixture of isoxazole-4-sulfonic acids (58) and their acid chlorides (59). The position of the sulfonic group in derivatives of monomethyl isoxazoles has been proved by nucleophilic cleavage of the isoxazole ring (60 61). Recently it proved possible to sulfonate isoxazole... 

The nucleophilic substitution of a halogen atom at C-5 in the isoxazole nucleus without further functional substituents is so far unknown, but recently reports appeared on the nucleophilic substitution reactions at C-5 in isoxazole derivatives with benzoyl (78 79), ester, and cyano groups (81—>80, 82) in the 4-position. ... 

Under more vigorous conditions such as prolonged heating, the degradation of these isoxazoles is also effected by weaker nucleophilic reagents. Thus, 5-methylisoxazole (113) on treatment with ammonia is partly converted into cyanoacetoneimine (112) and when refluxed with phenylhydrazine yields l-phenyl-3-methyl-5-aminopyrazole (115), in the latter case undoubtedly via the intermediate formation of cyanoacetone (114). ... 

The introduction of electron-accepting substituents into the isoxa-zole nucleus sharply increases its lability toward nucleophilic agents. Thus, whereas isoxazole is cleaved by ethanolic alcoholates, its 4-nitro derivative (131) requires merely heating with aniline for ring... 

The mechanism of the nucleophilic cleavage of the isoxazole nucleus can now be considered as well understood. The first stage of almost all variants of this reaction consists in the removal of the proton by the nucleophile from the unsubstituted carbon atom with the lowest electron density of the isoxazole ring, usually C-3 or C-5. Neutralization of the negative charge of the resulting isoxazolyl anion causes the... 

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