Oxazolones geometric isomers

The isolation of several pairs of geometric isomers of 4-unsaturated-5-oxazolones has been described. Generally, only one isomer is obtained when an aldehyde reacts with hippuric acid in the presence of acetic anhydride. Occasionally, mixtures have been separated in base-catalyzed reactions. In acetic anhydride-sulfuric acid or in 100% sulfuric acid, a mixture is obtained, and it has been suggested that sulfuric acid inhibits mutarotation of the intermediate addition product 53, which is a mixture of diastereomers (see, e.g., compound... 

Hydrogenation of the double bond in dehydroamino acids prepared from unsaturated 5(4H)-oxazolones derived from unsymmetrical ketones gives rise to two stereogenic centers. As a consequence, four stereoisomers are possible. If the hydrogenation of each geometric isomer is performed separately, then the erythro and threo pair of enantiomers can be obtained independently. In this respect, the unsaturated oxazolones from 2-butanone have been prepared as a Z/E) mixture. The mixture was separated and each stereoisomer was independently converted to the erythro and threo pairs of enantiomers. ... 

The geometric isomers 464 and 467 of 5(47/)-oxazolones prepared from acetophenones can be separated. Alternatively, the mixture can be isomerized under the appropriate reaction conditions to obtain the pure of (Z) or ) isomer. Each isomer can be converted to a pair of enantiomers 466 and 469 (only one enantiomer shown) (Scheme 7.152). The p-methyl phenylalanine analogues thus obtained are constrained phenylalanines and the effect of incorporation of a p-MePhe or p-MeTyr residue on the biological properties of H-Tyr-Tic-Phe-Phe-NH2 (TIPP, where Tic = l,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid) a delta opioid receptor antagonist, has been studied. ... 

Review "Geometric Isomers of 2-Aryl-(Aralkyl)-4-ary 1idene(alkyli-dene)-5(4H)-oxazolones"... 

Rao, Y. S., and R. Filler Geometric Isomers of 2-Aryl(aralkyl)-4-arylidene (alkylidene)-5(4H)-oxazolones. Synthesis 1975, 749. 

The circular dichroism of cis- and trans- 2-oxazolidinones (59 R = H or Me) has been measured (79T2009). Geometrical isomerism round the exocyclic double bond in 4-(aryl-methylene)-5-(4//)-oxazolones (60), the unsaturated azlactones, is a well-studied phenomenon (75S749). It has been shown by X-ray crystallography (74T351) that the stable form of 4-benzylidene-2-phenyl-5(4//)-oxazolone has the (Z) configuration (61). It isomer-izes to the labile (E) form (62) in polyphosphoric acid and the change is reversed in pyridine. 

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