2-Pyridone reaction with diazomethane

Cyclic hydroxamic acids and V-hydroxyimides are sufficiently acidic to be (9-methylated with diazomethane, although caution is necessary because complex secondary reactions may occur. N-Hydroxyisatin (105) reacted with diazomethane in acetone to give the products of ring expansion and further methylation (131, R = H or CH3). The benzalphthalimidine system (132) could not be methylated satisfactorily with diazomethane, but the V-methoxy compound was readil3 obtained by alkylation with methyl iodide and potassium carbonate in acetone. In the pyridine series, 1-benzyl-oxy and l-allyloxy-2-pyridones were formed by thermal isomeriza-tion of the corresponding 2-alkyloxypyridine V-oxides at 100°. 

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