Olofson

Since fV-acylpyrazoles have been fully described in (B-76MI40402) only a summary and some new references will be discussed here. Only neutral pyrazolides have been described, but a cationic intermediate (249) is involved in the Olofson and Kendall method of obtaining minor fV-alkylated isomers (70JOC2246). 

The fact that the isomeric structure of azolides is thermodynamically controlled has been used by Olofson and Kendall to prepare 1-alkylazoles regioselectively (70JOC2246). An asymmetric pyrazole yields two alkylated derivatives (Scheme 21 see Section 4.04.2.1.3 (viii)), but the alkylation with a powerful alkylating agent of the acetylated derivative leads to the less abundant isomer via the salt (249), which is too unstable to be isolated. 

Only in 1961 did Woodward and Olofson succeed in elucidating the true mechanism of this interesting reaction by making an extensive use of spectroscopic methods. The difficulty was that the reaction proceeds in many stages. The isomeric compounds formed thereby are extremely labile, readily interconvertible, and can be identified only spectroscopically. The authors found that the attack by the anion eliminates the proton at C-3 (147) subsequent cleavage of the N—0 bond yields a -oxoketene imine (148) whose formation was established for the first time. The oxoketene imine spontaneously adds acetic acid and is converted via two intermediates (149, 150) to an enol acetate (151) whose structure was determined by UV spectra. Finally the enol acetate readily yields the W-acyl derivative (152). 

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