Phenylhydrazones, preparation

The identity of the two products not only proves the structure of n-glucosazone formazan, but leaves no doubt that, in the n-glucosone phenylhydrazone prepared by Henseke, the phenylhydrazine residue is attached to Cl. 

Usually prepared by the action of NaCN on benzaldehyde in dilute alcohol. It is oxidized by nitric acid to benzil, and reduced by sodium amalgam to hydrobenzoin PhCHOHCHOHPh by tin amalgam and hydrochloric acid to des-oxybenzoin, PhCH2COPh and by zinc amalgam to stilbene PhCH = CHPh. It gives an oxime, phenylhydrazone and ethanoyl derivative. The a-oxime is used under the name cupron for the estimation of copper and molybdenum. 

Acetophenone similarly gives an oxime, CHjCCgHjlCtNOH, of m.p. 59° owing to its lower m.p. and its greater solubility in most liquids, it is not as suitable as the phenylhydrazone for characterising the ketone. Its chief use is for the preparation of 1-phenyl-ethylamine, CHjCCgHslCHNHj, which can be readily obtained by the reduction of the oxime or by the Leuckart reaction (p. 223), and which can then be resolved by d-tartaric acid and /-malic acid into optically active forms. The optically active amine is frequently used in turn for the resolution of racemic acids. 

The phenylhydrazones of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde are difficult to isolate and are seldom prepared. 

Experimental details for the preparation of oximes, phenylhydrazones and p-nitrophenylhydrazones will be found under Aromatic Aldehydes, Section IV,135,4-6. 

The use of liquid phenylhydrazine in the preparation of phenylhydrazones is not recommended for beginners because of the liiglily poisonous character of the liquid (see Section IV,89). A phenylhydrazine reagent may, however, be used. 

An important general method of preparing indoles, known as the Fischer Indole synthesis, consists in heating the phenylhydrazone of an aldehyde, ketone or keto-acld in the presence of a catalyst such as zinc chloride, hydrochloric acid or glacial acetic acid. Thus acrtophenone phenylhydrazone (I) gives 2-phenyllndole (I V). The synthesis involves an intramolecular condensation with the elimination of ammonia. The following is a plausible mechanism of the reaction ... 

Prepare acetophenonephenylhydrazone by warming a mixture of 20 g. of acetophenone (Section IV, 136) and 18 g. of phenylhydrazine on a water bath for 1 hour. Dissolve the hot mixture in 40 ml. of rectihed spirit, and shake or stir to induce crystallisation. Cool the mixture in ice, filter and wash with 12 ml. of rectified spirit. Dry in a vacuum desiccator over anhydrous calcium chloride for at least half an hour. The yield of phenylhydrazone, m.p. 105-106 , is 28 g. 

The acetone test reagent consists of a 0 1 per cent, solution of 2 4-dinitro-phenylhydrazine and is prepared as follows Dissolve 0-25 g. of 2 4-dinitrophenyl-hydrazine in 60 ml. of water and 42 ml. of concentrated hydrochloric acid by warming on a water bath cool the clear yellow solution and dilute to 250 ml. with water. The acetone test is considered negative when 5 ml. of the reagent and 4-5 drops of the distillate give no cloudiness or precipitate of acetone 2 4-dinitro-phenylhydrazone within 30 seconds. After a negative test is obtained, it is stron y recommended that the mixture in the flask be refluxed for 5-10 minutes with complete condensation and then to collect a few drops of distillate for another test. If no acetone is now detected, the reduction is complete. 

Unsaturated hydrazones, unsaturated diazonium salts or hydrazones of 2,3,5-triketones can be used as suitable precursors for the formation of pyridazines in this type of cyclization reaction. As shown in Scheme 61, pyridazines are obtainable in a single step by thermal cyclization of the tricyanohydrazone (139), prepared from cyanoacetone phenylhydrazone and tetracyanoethylene (76CB1787). Similarly, in an attempted Fischer indole synthesis the hydrazone of the cyano compound (140) was transformed into a pyridazine (Scheme 61)... 

Diphenylcinnoline can be prepared from benzil monophenylhydrazone in the presence of about 80% sulfuric acid (49MI21200). Synthetically more important, however, is the cyclization of mesoxalyl chloride phenylhydrazones under Frledel-Crafts -conditions (61JCS2828). As outlined in Scheme 67, the starting mesoxalate phenylhydrazones are obtained by coupling dlazotized aromatic amines with diethyl malonate. After conversion... 

Some weak electrophilic reagents, which are usually inert toward azoles, also react with quaternized azoles. Diazonium salts yield phenylhydrazones (Scheme 48) in a reaction analogous to the Japp-Klingemann transformation of /S-keto esters into phenylhydrazones in the dithiolylium series illustrated the product has bicyclic character. Cyanine dye preparations fall under this heading (see also Section 4.02.1.6.5). Monomethine cyanines are formed by reaction with an iodo quaternary salt, e.g. Scheme 49. Tri- and penta-methinecar-bocyanines (384 n = 1 and 2, respectively) are obtained by the reaction of two molecules of a quaternary salt with one molecule of ethyl orthoformate (384 n = 1) or/S-ethoxyacrolein acetal (384 n =2), respectively. 

The present procedure was developed from those of Wallach and Freylon, based upon the general method discovered by Leuckart. a-Phenylethylamine also can be prepared satisfactorily by the reduction of acetophenone oxime with sodium and absolute alcohol or sodium amalgam, but the reagents are more expensive and the processes less convenient. The amine has been obtained by reducing acetophenone oxime electro-lytically, by reducing acetophenone phenylhydrazone with sodium amalgam and acetic acid, from a-phenylethyl bromide and hexamethylenetetramine, and by the action of methyl-magnesium iodide upon hydrobenzamide, as well as by other methods of no preparative value. 

A variety of l,2,3,4-tetrahydro-j8-carbolines have been prepared from 3-piperidone phenylhydrazone derivatives. Used initially to obtain pentacyclic derivatives (35) related to the yohimbe alkaloids, this route was later extended to the synthesis of tetracyclic compounds (36). l-Methyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-j8-carboline (37) was prepared in low yield by heating cyclohexanone 2-methyl-3-pyridylhydrazone with zinc chloride, a synthesis probably based on the similar preparation of the tetracyclic compound 38 starting from the corresponding quinolylhydrazine. Abramovitch and Adams extended this approach to the cyclization of cyclohexanone 3-pyri-dylhydrazone (39) itself. The main product was 6,7,8,9-tetrahydro-8-carboline (40), a smaller amount of the j8-isomer (41) also being obtained. This provides a convenient and readily reproducible route to the otherwise difficultly accessible 8-carboline ring system. The favored attack at carbon-2 over carbon-4 of the pyridine nucleus... 

Another example of this rearrangement has been used to prepare 1,2,3-triazole 146 from furazanic phenylhydrazone 147 (Scheme 84) [93JCS(P1)2491]. Interestingly, furoxanic Z-phenylhydrazones 150 underwent thermal recyclization to 1,2,3-triazole A-oxides 152, evidently through intermediate 151. Treatment of the hydrazone 150 with rerr-BuOK leads to the nitromethyl derivative 149 [OOOMIl] (Scheme 84). Lead tetraacetate oxidation of 147 with subsequent Lewis acid treatment of the initially formed intermediate afforded indazole 148 (Scheme 84) (85JHC29). 

The Fischer indole synthesis is of wide scope, and can be used for the preparation of substituted indoles and related systems. For example reaction of the phenylhydrazone 9, derived from cyclohexanone, yields the tetrahydrocar-bazole 10 ... 

Pyrrolo annulated triazine 77 was prepared (88TL4415) by the [6 + 4]-cycloaddition of azoniafulvene ion 76 with azomethine imines generated from benzylidene phenylhydrazone (Scheme 19). 

An enantiopure bicyclic triazolium salt was prepared by a three step conversion of the oxazolidinone 31 (Scheme 18). The first step was a methylation affording an iminoether which was transformed into the phenylhydrazone 32. A final cyclization gave the salt 33 as a cristalline solid [25]. 

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