Nitrenes abstraction reactions

Solvolysis of MC15 by ammonia was studied as early as 1924, but the products were not conclusively characterized.260,261 Halo monoalkylamides262 and dialkyl amides were prepared. The monoalkylamides undergo facile cr-H abstraction reactions to nitrenes, especially when labile substitutents are present (Section 34.2.3.5) dialkylamides (Table 12) have been extensively studied by Bradley.263-265... 

Both the singlet energy and electron transfer methods suffer from competing isocyanate formation. Energy and electron transfer in the triplet state avoids this rearrangement reaction which can result in higher yields of cycloaddition products. However, in both sensitization modes, side reactions of the triplet nitrene such as H-abstraction reactions have to be taken into account. 

If this mechanism is really operative, the "abstraction product" formed in benzene is not necessarily due to a triplet nitrene precursor. Recently a careful study of the thermolysis of methylazide in substituted benzenes demonstrated that the unsubstituted primary sulfonamide is a product of hydrogen abstraction by the nitrene 72). On the other hand there are remarkable differences in isomer ratios (o m p) of the ring-substituted anilides formed depending on the spin state of the reacting nitrene. The triplet was shown to attach the aromatic nucleus mainly in the o-position, as is expected from a highly electrophilic diradical. Dehydrogenations by carbonylnitrenes have been reported by several authors for a variety of systems. In the direct photolysis of ethylazidoformate 29 in cyclohexene, the amide 30 and the bicyclohexenyl 31 were isolated 35b Both products result from an abstraction reaction. 

The nitrene constitutes a very reactive intermediate which can take part in coupling, dimerization and hydrogen abstraction reactions. 

It is clear that the ortho and para substituted diarylamines 16 and 17 are derived from capture of the singlet nitrene and the product of benzylic CH insertion 15 can be formed from either the triplet or singlet state of the nitrene. Decafluoroazobenzene is derived from a dimerization reaction of the triplet nitrene and pentafluoroaniline is formed by hydrogen atom abstraction reactions of triplet pentafluorophenyl nitrene, and possibly by some photoreduction of an excited state of the azide. It is clear from this data that the singlet and triplet nitrene are not rapidly interconverting, and there is no evidence for uphill intersystem crossing from the triplet to the singlet nitrene. 

Alkyl nitrenes have been isolated by trapping in matrices at 4K, while aryl nitrenes that are less reactive can be trapped at 77 K. Occasionally, a nitrene has been trapped by its reaction with CO to yield an isocyanate (Scheme 6.2). In general, aryl nitrenes abstract hydrogen from hydrocarbons more reluctantly than do triplet carbenes. For example, phenylnitrene abstracts H from toluene with a rate constant 10 times lower than triplet diarylcarbenes. 

Fig. 6. Coupling of polymer chains via (a) photoinduced hydrogen abstraction free-radical reactions and (b) nitrene insertion/addition reactions.

The success of this reaction was ascribed to the solubility of the chlorozinc intermediate, whereas other chloramine-T derivatives (e.g. the sodium salt) are insoluble. An alternative non-nitrene pathway was not eliminated from consideration. On the other hand, no aromatic substitution or addition, characteristic of a free sulphonyl nitrene (see below), took place on treatment of jV,lV-dichloromethanesulphonamides with zinc powder in benzene in the cold or on heating. The only product isolated was that of hydrogen-abstraction, methanesulphonamide 42>, which appears to be more characteristic of the behaviour of a sulphonyl nitrene-metal complex 36,37). Photolysis of iV.iV-dichloromethanesulphonamide, or dichloramine-B, or dichloramine-T in benzene solution led to the formation of some unsubstituted sulphonamide and some chlorobenzene but no product of addition of a nitrene to benzene 19>. 

The chemical reactions of sulphonyl nitrenes include hydrogen abstraction, insertion into aliphatic C—H bonds, aromatic substitution , addition to olefinic double bonds, trapping reactions with suitable nucleophiles, and Wolff-type rearrangement. Hydrogen-abstraction from saturated carbon atoms is usually considered to be a reaction typical of triplet... 

On the other hand, thermolysis of ferrocenylsulpkonyl azide (14) in aliphatic solvents may lead to the predominant formation of the amide (16) 17>. A 48.4% yield of (16) was obtained from the thermolysis in cyclohexane while an 85.45% yield of 16 was formed in cyclohexene. Photolysis of 14 in these solvents led to lower yields of sulphonamide 32.2% in cyclohexane, 28.2% in cyclohexene. This suggests again that a metal-nitrene complex is an intermediate in the thermolysis of 14 since hydrogen-abstraction appears to be an important made of reaction for such sulphonyl nitrene-metal complexes. Thus, benzenesulphonamide was the main product (37%) in the copper-catalyzed decomposition of the azide in cyclohexane, and the yield was not decreased (in fact, it increased to 49%) in the presence of hydroquinone 34>. On the other hand, no toluene-sulphonamide was reported from the reaction of dichloramine-T and zinc in cyclohexane. 

Mechanisms [i] and [II] may occur through the recombination of unpaired electrons which are formed by the hydrogen abstraction of nitrenes, and the insertion reaction of nitrenes to C-H bonds, respectively. However, it has not been revealed in this study which C-H bond is attacked by the nitrene. 

Preparation of the prototype drug departs from the phenylenediamine strategy used in all of the previous examples. Condensation of thiazolo nitrile (53-2) with aniline catalyzed by aluminum chloride affords the amidine addition product (53-3). This is then converted to its reactive A -chloro derivative (53-4) by reaction with sodium hypochlorite. Treatment of that intermediate with a base such as potassium hydroxide leads directly to the cyclization product and thus the benzimidazole thiabendazole (53-6) [56]. The reaction can be rationalized by invoking as the first step the abstraction of chloride to leave behind a nitrene species such as (53-5) this would then readily insert in the CH bond at the ortho position. 

The first tantalum nitrene was obtained in 1959 by thermolysis of [Ta(NEt2)]5-288 This class of compounds is presently accessible by several routes, including hydrogen abstraction from the mono- or di-alkylamides, reaction of metallacarbenes with organic imines, oxidation of low valent species by organic azides, or reductive coupling of nitriles (Table 13). The tantalum derivatives are usually stabler than those of niobium. 

Nitrenes have a short lifetime (only several microseconds)86- 8 and undergo stabilization by the following reactions isomerization to imines, dimerization to azo compounds, hydrogen abstraction followed by ring closure to heterocyclic compounds, bimolecular insertion into C-H bonds to secondary amines, addition to solvent yielding ylids, and addition to unsaturated systems yielding heterocyclic compounds. Table 117-106 includes the reaction products and references for the different classes of nitrenes. 

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