Nucleophiles, reaction with aromatic heterocyclic bases

Nucleophilic Reactions of Aromatic Heterocyclic Bases Heterocyclic aromatic compounds containing a formal imine group (pyridine, quinoline, isoquinoline, and acridine) also react readily with nucleophilic reagents. A dihydro-derivative results, which is readily dehydrogenated to a new heteroaromatic system. Since the nucleophile always attacks the a-carbon atom, the reaction formally constitutes an addition to the C=N double bond. An actual localization of the C=N double bond in aromatic heterocyclic compounds is incompatible with molecular orbital theory. The attack of the nucleophilic reagent occurs at a site of low 77-electron density, which is not... 

This awareness in a short time led to new homolytic aromatic substitutions, characterized by high selectivity and versatility. Further developments along these lines can be expected, especially as regards reactions of nucleophilic radicals with protonated heteroaromatic bases, owing to the intrinsic interest of these reactions and to the fact that classical direct ionic substitution (electrophilic and nucleophilic) has several limitations in this class of compound and does not always offer alternative synthetic solutions. Homolytic substitution in heterocyclic compounds can no longer be considered the Cinderella of substitution reactions. 

Reactions of Quaternary Salts of Aromatic Heterocyclic Bases with Nucleophilic Reagents... 

You first met amines in Chapter 2, and you have continued to encounter them in almost every chapter since. Chapter 20 starts by extending the coverage of amines. You have seen that amines do not undergo addition, substitution, or elimination reactions their importance lies in their reactions as bases and nucleophiles with other organic compounds. Chapter 20 also covers the reactions of aromatic heterocyclic compounds. You will see that they undergo the same reactions that benzene and substituted benzenes undergo and by the same mechanisms. 

Since there are no extensive studies on the relative aromaticity of the heterocycles covered in this chapter, the relative order of aromaticity of these systems has been gleaned from disparate studies. A priori, the combined effects of the 7i-electron-deficient five-membered heterocycles annelated to a pyridine nucleus provides a series of bicyclic heterocycles with low reactivity towards electrophiles. In the presence of suitable leaving groups, they are prone to undergo nucleophilic substitution. Since these heterocycles are readily obtained from either appropriately substituted pyridines or five-membered heterocycles, methods for direct functionalization of the parent heterocycles are not frequently studied. Based on the diversity of reactions these heterocycles undergo, it can be inferred that the pyridofuroxans are the least aromatic. 

An impressive range of nucleophiles was successful for arylboronic acids in the presence of Cu(OAc)2 and base, which included amine, anilines, amides, imines, ureas, carbamates, sulfonamides, and aromatic heterocycles (e.g., imidazoles, pyrazoles, triazoles, tetrazoles, benzimidazoles, and indazoles) (Equation (226)) 996 997 1000-1011 For all the reactions investigated with A-nucleophiles, the use of Et3N resulted in yields superior to those obtained with pyridine, but pyridine was the base of choice for the preparation of imidazole derivatives from heteroarenes. For the tetrazole, NMO and DBU were studied as alternative bases. There are mechanistic studies.999,1002-1013... 

Coupling of aromatic heterocycles goes well. The 2-position of a pyridine is very electrophilic and not at all nucleophilic (Chapter 43) but couplings at this position are fine with either the halide or the boronic acid in that position. Clearly, it is a mistake to see either of these substituents as contributing a nucleophilic carbon . It is better to see the reaction as a coupling of two equal partners and the two substituents (halide and boronic acid) as a control element to ensure cross-coupling and prevent dimerization. In the second example potassium te t-butoxide was crucial as weaker and less hindered bases gave poor yields. 

Abstract Synthesis methods of various C- and /V-nitroderivativcs of five-membered azoles - pyrazoles, imidazoles, 1,2,3-triazoles, 1,2,4-triazoles, oxazoles, oxadiazoles, isoxazoles, thiazoles, thiadiazoles, isothiazoles, selenazoles and tetrazoles - are summarized and critically discussed. The special attention focuses on the nitration reaction of azoles with nitric acid or sulfuric-nitric acid mixture, one of the main synthetic routes to nitroazoles. The nitration reactions with such nitrating agents as acetylnitrate, nitric acid/trifluoroacetic anhydride, nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen tetrox-ide, nitronium tetrafluoroborate, V-nitropicolinium tetrafluoroborate are reported. General information on the theory of electrophilic nitration of aromatic compounds is included in the chapter covering synthetic methods. The kinetics and mechanisms of nitration of five-membered azoles are considered. The nitroazole preparation from different cyclic systems or from aminoazoles or based on heterocyclization is the subject of wide speculation. The particular section is devoted to the chemistry of extraordinary class of nitroazoles - polynitroazoles. Vicarious nucleophilic substitution (VNS) reaction in nitroazoles is reviewed in detail. 

Dioxanes have been synthesized from l-O-allyl-l,2-diols by radical addition of per-fluoroalkyl iodides and subsequent nucleophilic cyclization.561 With sodium hydride, elimination occurs from iodides such as 1.3 other bases also give unsatisfactory results, whereas N-bromosuccinimide seems to be the reagent of choice for the cyclization to 1,4-dioxane 14. Similar results arc obtained with dibromodimethylhydantoin.561 Dihydrobenzofurans are synthesized by cyclodehydration utilizing the Vilsmeier reagent (chloromethylene)dimethylam-monium chloride is most practical.562 Nucleophilic aromatic substitution reactions with catechol derivatives also give the six-membered heterocycles.563 564 1.4-Dioxan-2-ones arc pre-... 

Small hydrogen isotope effects have been found in a nucleophilic substitution of an aromatic heterocycle, the reaction of cyanuric chloride with aniline-N,N-d2 in benzene solution (Zollinger, 1961a). As the effects are small (5%), it is difficult to draw definite mechanistic conclusions. The reactions of cyanuric chloride and other halogenated triazine derivatives are subject to bifunctional catalysis (e.g. by carboxylic acids and by a -pyridone) and to catalysis by monofunctional bases like pyridine (Bitter and Zollinger, 1961). Reinheimer et al. (1962) measured the solvent isotope effect in the hydrolysis of 2-chloro-5-nitro-pyridine (A h,o/ d.o = 2 36). The result makes it probable, but... 

PTC was successfully applied to a variety of other carbene reactions such as insertion into CH bonds, reactions with primary and secondary amines (giving isonitriles and A -formylated amines, respectively), Schiff bases (to form dichloroaziridine derivatives), some aromatic heterocycles, carbon-carbon triple bonds and with many other 0,N,S and P nucleophiles. In many cases, these reactions are of practical value only when carried out according to PTC methodology. For instance, the NaOH-promoted reaction of chloroform with primary amines leading to isonitriles (the Hoffman reaction), which are important intermediates in organic synthesis, was previously used only as an analytical method (eqs. 115-118). 

The clinical value of the nitrogen mustards lies in the fact that they undergo reaction with certain nucleophilic sites on the heterocyclic aromatic amine bases in DNA (see Chapter 28). For DNA, the most reactive nucleophilic site is N-7 of guanine. Next in reactivity is N-3 of adenine, followed by N-3 of cytosine. 

Nitrogen nucleophiles also add readily to 2//-azirines but the resulting aziridines are usually very unstable because of the electron donating effect of the nitrogen substituent. Aromatic nitrogen heterocycles are an exception because the reaction products do not have a localized lone pair. The unstable azirine 75 was intercepted in situ by a series of purine and pyrimidine bases to give isolable aziridines for example, the aziridine 76 was obtained from a reaction with thymine (Scheme 6.31). ... 

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