Malononitrile synthesis

The presence of a cyano group seems to be important[649]. The reaction has been successfully applied to halides of pyridine, quinoline, isoquinoline, and oxazoles[650]. An interesting application is the synthesis of tetracyanoquino-dimethane (789) by the reaction of / -diiodobenzene with malononitrile[65l]. 

Another compound of interest is adenine [73-24-5] or 6-aminopurine (53) derived from pheny1a 2oma1ononitri1e (92). The introduction of the dicyanostyryl moiety has led to the industriali2ation of several methine dyes such as the Cl Disperse Yellow [6684-20-4] (54) (93). The Cl Disperse Blue 354 [74239-96-6] (55) also represents a new class of anTinoarylneutrocyariine dyes with a brilliant blue shade (94). The dimer of malononitrile is also used for the synthesis of new dyes (95). 

A major type of reaction in this class is the cyclization of 4-amino- or 4-halo-pyrimidines carrying 5-cyanoethyl or 5-ethoxycarbonylethyl groups, which cyclize to 7-amino or 7-oxo derivatives of 5,6-dihydropyrido[2,3- f]pyrimidine, e.g. (131)->(63). The intermediates may sometimes be prepared by reaction of 4(6)-aminopyrimidines with acrylonitrile, or even via a pyrimidine ring synthesis from an amidine and a cyanoacetic ester or malononitrile derivative, e.g. (132) -> (133) (7lJOC2 85, 72BCJ1127). 

The Gewald aminothiophene synthesis involves the condensation of aldehydes, ketones, or 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds 1 with activated nitriles such as malononitrile or cyanoacetic esters 2 and elemental sulfur in the presence of an amine to afford the corresponding 2-aminothiophene 3. ... 

A further eonvenient synthesis is that developed by Taylor and Gareia who showed that pyrido[2,3-d]pyximidines (86 and 87) were obtained by the aetion of malononitrile on 5-aeetyl-4-aminopyrimidin-6(li/)-one or 4-amino-5-benzoyl-l-methylpyrimidin-6(li/)-one. 

Amino-5-hydrazinopyrazole dihydrochloride 300 is a good source for the synthesis of this type of heterocyclic compound [78JCS(P1)885] and it was prepared by reaction of malononitrile with two equivalents of hydrazine. Reaction of 300 with ethyl pyruvate afforded 301. Unstable hydra-zone 302 formed when 300 was boiled with diacetyl rapidly cyclized to 303. Reaction of 300 with benzil gave 304 directly, which gave an acetyl derivative and resisted reductive deamination. On the other hand, a polymer was isolated from the reaction of 300 with glyoxal (Scheme 65). 

The biocatalytic differentiation of enantiotopic nitrile groups in prochiral or meso substrates has been studied by several research groups. For instance, the nitrilase-catalyzed desymmetrization of 3-hydroxyglutaronitrile [92,93] followed by an esterification provided ethyl-(Jl)-4-cyano-3-hydroxybutyrate, a useful intermediate in the synthesis of cholesterol-lowering dmg statins (Figure 6.32) [94,95]. The hydrolysis of prochiral a,a-disubstituted malononitriles by a Rhodococcus strain expressing nitrile hydratase/amidase activity resulted in the formation of (R)-a,a-disubstituted malo-namic acids (Figure 6.33) [96]. 

Zemer MC, Reidlinger C, Fabian WMF, Junek H (2001) Push-dyes containing malononitrile dimer as acceptor synthesis, spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations. J Mol Struct THEOCHEM 543(1-3) 129-146... 

Alkylisoselenocyanates 339 are also used in the synthesis of 2-methylidene-l,3-selenazolidine derivatives <06T3344>. Nucleophilic addition of the carbanion derived from malononitrile 347 to 339 leads to an intermediate kcten-A, -acetal 348, which reacts with 2-haloacetate ester and 1,2-dibromoethane to provide l,3-selenazolidin-4-ones 350 and 1,3-selenazolidines 352, respectively. 

J.H. Kim and H. Lee, Synthesis, electrochemistry, and electroluminescence of novel red-emitting poly(p-phenylene vinylene) derivative with 2-pyran-4-ylidene-malononitrile obtained by the Heck reaction, Chem. Mater., 14 2270-2275, 2002. 

Q. Peng, Z.-Y. Lu, Y. Huang, M.-G. Xie, S.-H. Han, J.-B. Peng, and Y. Cao, Synthesis and characterization of new red-emitting polyfluorene derivatives containing electron-deficient 2-pyran-4-ylidene-malononitrile moieties, Macromolecules, 37 260-266, 2004. 

Malononitrile and cyanoacetamide only give aminopyrans. However, in reaction with cyanoacetic ester 27b aminopyran 233 has been isolated from the mother liquor and also side product 234 from the cooled mixture. Mechanistic considerations have been proved by the isolation of a deace-tylated intermediate (95M615). Similar transformations occur in the synthesis of spiropyrans 235 from benzothiazole 236 (97G605) (Scheme 90). 

These heterocycles (240) are the first representatives of meso-ionic compounds to be S3mthesized in which the raocyclic subsfituent f. Table I) is a stabilized carbanionoid group [-C(CN)C02Me or -CfChOi]-Their synthesis d involves the reaction between (i) JV-aminoamidines (23 ) and bis(methylthio)acrylonitriles (241), (ii) iV-thioacylhydrazines (232), and 3-alkylamino-3-methylthioacrylonitriles (242), and (iii) 1,2,4-triazolium iodides (234, R = Me, X = I) and malononitrile. 

To complete the section on the synthesis of 4,4 -bipyridines, we summarize the methods reported for the preparation of some substituted 4,4 -bi-pyridines and 4,4 -bipyridinones. These methods are closely analogous to syntheses already discussed for some of the isomeric bipyridines. Thus the Hantzsch reaction using pyridine-4-aldehyde, ethyl acetoacetate, and ammonia gives 3,5-di(ethoxycarbonyl)-1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-4,4 -bipyridine, which after oxidation, followed by hydrolysis and decarboxylation, afforded 2,6-dimethyl-4,4 -bipyridine. Several related condensations have been reported. Similarly, pyridine-4-aldehyde and excess acetophenone gave l,5-diphenyl-3-(4-pyridyl)pentane-l,5-dione, which with ammonium acetate afforded 2,6-diphenyl-4,4 -bipyridine. Alternatively, 1-phenyl-3-(4-pyridyl)prop-2-enone, A-phenacylpyridinium bromide, and ammonium acetate gave the same diphenyl-4,4 -bipyridine, and extensions of this synthesis have been discribed. Condensation of pyridine-4-aldehyde with malononitrile in the presence of an alcohol and alkaline catalyst produced compounds such as whereas condensations of... 

---