5- Methylisoxazole, thermal

In the photochemical isomerization of isoxazoles, we have evidence for the presence of the azirine as the intermediate of this reaction. The azirine is stable and it is the actual first photoproduct of the reaction, as in the reaction of r-butylfuran derivatives. The fact that it is able to interconvert both photochemically and thermally into the oxazole could be an accident. In the case of 3,5-diphenylisoxazole, the cleavage of the O—N bond should be nearly concerted with N—C4 bond formation (8IBCJ1293) nevertheless, the formation of the biradical intermediate cannot be excluded. The results of calculations are in agreement with the formation of the azirine [9911(50)1115]. The excited singlet state can convert into a Dewar isomer or into the triplet state. The conversion into the triplet state is favored, allowing the formation of the biradical intermediate. The same results [99H(50)1115] were obtained using as substrate 3-phenyl-5-methylisoxazole (68ACR353) and... 

Two new syntheses to fused isoxazoles are worth mentioning. In a study for the synthesis of various related fused [l,3,5]triazinium salts, Okide described <1994JHC535> the conversion of 3-amino-5-methylisoxazole 223 with the iminium salt 224. The quaternary perchlorate salt 225 was obtained in medium yield (44%). A Russian research group <2004KGS592> reported that the isoxazole derivative 226 undergoes thermal cyclization when heated in xylene at higher temperature for an extended time, and the cyclized product 227 can be obtained in 53% yield. 

Amino-5-methylisoxazole reacts with aroylisothiocyanates to yield the thiourea (314) which can be thermally cyclized to (315) in high yield by a similar mechanism (Equation (49)) <88SUL101>. 

Computational studies on the mechanisms of thermal isomerization of isoxazole and 5-methylisoxazole have been reported.162... 

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