Nitrenes heterocycles

Nitrenes have enjoyed appreciable application in the synthesis of a wide variety of heterocyclic systems, and the majority of the methods used for generating nitrenes have been utilized in these syntheses. 

Another example of the analogy between pyrazole and chlorine is provided by the alkaline cleavage of l-(2,4-dinitrophenyl)pyrazoles. As occurs with l-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene, the phenyl substituent bond is broken with concomitant formation of 2,4-dinitrophenol and chlorine or pyrazole anions, respectively (66AHC(6)347). Heterocyclization of iV-arylpyrazoles involving a nitrene has already been discussed (Section 4.04.2.1.8(i)). Another example, related to the Pschorr reaction, is the photochemical cyclization of (515) to (516) (80CJC1880). An unusual transfer of chlorine to the side-chain of a pyrazole derivative was observed when the amine (517 X = H, Y = NH2) was diazotized in hydrochloric acid and subsequently treated with copper powder (72TL3637). The product (517 X = Cl, Y = H) was isolated. 

In 1999, Bob Atkinson wrote [1] that aziridination reactions were epoxida-tion s poor relation , and this was undoubtedly true at that time the scope of the synthetic methods available for preparation of aziridines was rather narrow when compared to the diversity of the procedures used for the preparation of the analogous oxygenated heterocycles. The preparation of aziridines has formed the basis of several reviews [2] and the reader is directed towards those works for a comprehensive analysis of the area this chapter presents a concise overview of classical methods and focuses on modern advances in the area of aziridine synthesis, with particular attention to stereoselective reactions between nitrenes and al-kenes on the one hand, and carbenes and imines on the other. 

The [l,2,3]triazolo[2,l- ]benzotriazole (74 2,3-benzo-l,3a,4,6a-tetraazapentalene) heterocyclic ring system is obtained by an electrophilic attack of singlet nitrene, generated by heating the corresponding nitrophenyl triazole 251 in trialkyl phosphite, on the triazole nitrogen (Equation 39) <1998JOC3352>. 

Aryl and heteroaryl nitrene insertion processes have also been employed in the synthesis of heterocycles. The azide 459, for example, is converted on irradiation into the imidazole 460,383 and dihydro-10-thiaisoalloxazines are obtained in good yield on photoelimination of nitrogen from 6-(2-azido-phenylthio)uracils.384... 

By analogy with the intramolecular insertion of phenylthiocarbenes, the reaction of (oo-oxido)diazoalkanes 93 resulted in the formation of cycloalkenes 94.38 However, the reaction was proven to proceed not via a carbene route b but a nitrene route a as shown in Scheme 26. The nitrene route is supported by the formation of heterocyclic products 98 and 99.39 This insertion reaction was used in the cydization step to the cyclopentene ring formation of isocarbacycline 97.40... 

Nitrenes can be generated from many precursors such as azides, isocyanates, ylides, heterocycles, and nitro compounds.236,237 Amongst these, azides are the most convenient precursors since they are easily prepared and can be decomposed by heat, light or a suitable catalyst. Despite considerable endeavors, no one has yet provided a synthetically viable method to use azides as sources of nitrenes.237 The breakthrough of nitrene chemistry was the recognization of the value of A-arenesulfonyl iminoiodinanes (ArS02N=IPh) as nitrene precursors by Breslow and Mansuy. - They reported inter- and intramolecular C-H insertions by tosylimino phenyl-iodinane (TsN=IPh) in the presence of Mn(m) or Fe(m) porphyrins or [Rh2(OAc)4]. Subsequently, Muller... 

As shown in the manganese- and ruthenium-catalyzed intermolecular nitrene insertions, most of these results supposed the transfer of a nitrene group from iminoiodanes of formula PhI=NR to substrates that contain a somewhat activated carbon-hydrogen bond (Scheme 14). Allylic or benzylic C-H bonds, C-H bonds a to oxygen, and very recently, Q spz)-Y bonds of heterocycles have been the preferred reaction sites for the above catalytic systems, whereas very few examples of the tosylamidation of unactivated C-H bonds have been reported to date. 

Besides the applications of the electrophilicity index mentioned in the review article [40], following recent applications and developments have been observed, including relationship between basicity and nucleophilicity [64], 3D-quantitative structure activity analysis [65], Quantitative Structure-Toxicity Relationship (QSTR) [66], redox potential [67,68], Woodward-Hoffmann rules [69], Michael-type reactions [70], Sn2 reactions [71], multiphilic descriptions [72], etc. Molecular systems include silylenes [73], heterocyclohexanones [74], pyrido-di-indoles [65], bipyridine [75], aromatic and heterocyclic sulfonamides [76], substituted nitrenes and phosphi-nidenes [77], first-row transition metal ions [67], triruthenium ring core structures [78], benzhydryl derivatives [79], multivalent superatoms [80], nitrobenzodifuroxan [70], dialkylpyridinium ions [81], dioxins [82], arsenosugars and thioarsenicals [83], dynamic properties of clusters and nanostructures [84], porphyrin compounds [85-87], and so on. 

Besides the bond-pair cheletropic disconnection of oxiranes and aziridines to an alkene and "atomic oxygen" (from a carboxylic peracid) or a nitrene, respectively, and the hetero-Diels-Alder cycloreversion, of special interest are the 1,3-dipolar cycloeliminations of five-membered rings [-(34-2)] leading to 1,3-dipoles and an unsaturated acceptor or dipolarophile. So large is the number of different five-membered heterocyclic systems resulting from 1,3-dipolar... 

JV-Alkoxycarbonyl- and iV-arenesulfonyl-imines can be prepared by the reaction between pyridines and nitrenes, the latter being generated from the corresponding azides (72JOC2022, 64TL1733). Thermolysis of pyridinium iV-acylimines gives isocyanates and the parent heterocycle <79JCS(P1)446). 

The synthesis of metal-coordinated 1-azirines and the reactions of azirines induced by metals have opened a new area in the chemistry of this small ring heterocycle. Many of the reactions encountered bear resemblance to previously discussed thermally and photo-chemically induced reactions of 1-azirines. The reaction of a series of diiron enneacarbonyls in benzene results in coupling and insertion to give diimine complexes and ureadiiron complexes as well as pyrroles and ketones (76CC191). A mechanism for the formation of these products which involves initial 1,3-bond cleavage and generation of a nitrene-iron carbonyl complex as an intermediate was proposed. 

Other synthetic routes to benzazepines involving ring expansion of six-membered heterocycles include the action of diazomethane (77CPB321), sulfonium ylides (77H(7)37> or acyl halides (75T1991) on quaternary 3,4-dihydroisoquinolines that of sulfoxonium ylides on quaternary quinolines (74IJC(B)1238) and the zinc-acetic acid reduction of quaternary 1-acyltetrahydroisoquinolines (77BSF893). Photoaddition of acyl- or aryl-nitrenes to the exocyclic alkene bond of 2-methylene-1,2-dihydroquinolines results in ring expansion to... 

The preparation and chemistry of organic azides have been intensively investigated since about 1960 because of their importance in preparative heterocyclic chemistry and as a source of nitrenes [1]. Many nitrogen-containing heterocycles such as carbazoles, furoxans, azepines, A2-triazolines, triazoles [2], tetrazoles [3], aziridines [4, 5], and azirines have been obtained by either the addition or the decomposition of azides. 

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