Pyrazine, phenyl-, nitration

There are few reports of the nitration of the pyridazines and pyrazines. The nitration of phenylpyridazines has been stated to occur exclusively in the phenyl ring (73MI1). The use of fuming nitric acid at 0°C forms only the 4-nitrophenyl derivative (95%), as does 4-chloro-2-phenyl-3-pyridazone (100%), and 4-amino-2-phenyl-3-pyridazone (60%) (47JCS549). 

It is to be expected that furo[2,3-ft]pyrazines would show an appreciably lower reactivity in electrophilic substitution than benzo[fe]furans. Bromination of 2-phenylfuro[2,3-6]pyrazine requires high temperatures and long reaction times the substitution takes place in position 3. By contrast, nitration occurs mainly in the phenyl group. Reaction with peracids easily provides the N-7 monoxide. This is to be expected since quantum mechanical calculations (HMO, PPP, CNDO) all predict a higher charge density at N-7 compared with N-5. 

The simple phenyl-substituted pyrazines do undergo nitration in the phenyl ring for example, 2-phenylpyrazine yields the 4-nitrophenyl derivative (mixed acid), although 5-phenyl-2-pyrazinone forms the 3-nitropyra-zinone under similar conditions (75MI1). However, 2,5-dimethyl-3,6-diphenylpyrazine and its /V,A -dioxide are both reported to be nitrated to give the bis-(3-nitrophenyl) products (55JCS3094). 

As already mentioned, hydroxypyrazines exist in tautomeric equilibria with the corresponding pyrazinones which are normally the predominant species in the equilibria. Some of the reactions of hydroxypyrazines are reminiscent of those of phenols they can, for example, be coupled with diazonium salts and brominated and nitrated in either the ortho or para position to the hydroxyl group. Coupling with diazonium salts occurs in neutral or weakly alkaline solution, but if the reaction is carried out in 1 M sodium hydroxide solution, arylation of the pyrazine ring takes place. From hydroxy-pyrazine and benzenediazonium chloride 47% 2-hydroxy-3-phenyl-and 4% 2-hydroxy-3,6-diphenylpyrazine are obtained. 

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