Pyrrole formation Hantzsch

Hantzsch synthesis The formation of pyridine derivatives by the condensation of ethyl acetoacetate with ammonia and an aldehyde. Also applied to similar syntheses of pyrroles. 

Several significant pyrrole syntheses involve the formal tricomponent cyclization of type III ace (equation 126). The Hantzsch pyrrole synthesis involves a dicarbonyl compound, an a -halo ketone and ammonia or an amine. The mechanistic pattern is similar to that involved in the Knorr synthesis (Section 3.06.3.4.1). In addition to a-halo ketones and a-haloal-dehydes, compounds such as 1,2-dichloroethyl acetate, 1,2-dibromoethyl acetate and 1,2-dichloroethyl ethyl ether can serve as a -haloaldehyde equivalents (equation 127) (70CJC1689, 70JCS(C)285>. It is believed that the initial step in these reactions is the formation of a stabilized enamine from the amine and the /3 -dicarbonyl compound. A structural ambiguity... 

In the first step, Rink amide AM PS Resin was acetoacetylated with diketene. Treatment with primary amines resulted in polymer-bound enaminones which then underwent a Hantzsch reaction [30] with l,4-dibromo-2,3-butanedione under formation of 5-(2-bro-moacetyl)pyrroles which could be cleaved from the resin with 20 % TFA/CH2C12. 

It is possible that the mechanism of the Hantzsch pyrrole synthesis commenced with the condensation between the amine and the ketoester. The resulting imine then undergoes an Sn2 replacement reaction with the a-haloketone via the intermediacy of an enamine. The adduct as an enamine ketone then undergoes an intramolecular C-N bond formation to deliver the final pyrrole after extrusion of a molecule of water. 

This reaction was first reported by Hantzsch in 1890. It is the preparation of 2,5-dialkyl or 2,4,5-trialkylpyrrole derivatives from the condensation of of-halo-ketones, )0-ketoesters and ammonia or amines. Therefore, it is often known as the Hantzsch pyrrole synthesis or simply the Hantzsch synthesis. During this synthesis, ammonia or amine reacts quickly with y0-keto esters to form enamine esters or 3-amino crotonates that cyclize with of-halo-ketones to form pyrrole derivatives upon heating, and the regioselectivity strongly depends on the substituents on the starting materials. Thus, this reaction can directly start from 3-amino crotonates or enamines of 0-keto esters. Further extension of this reaction from aromatic amines results in the formation of indole derivatives, or carbazole derivatives if cyclized with a-halo-cyclohexanones. The synthesized pyrroles have wide application in medicinal chemistry, conducting polymers, molecular optics, sensors,etc. 

The mechanism for the Hantzsch pyrrole synthesis begins with enamine formation. Condensation of ammonia (or an ammonia surrogate) and 3-ketoester 2 gives intermediate A. Intermediate A then undergoes dehydration and tautomerization (B) to produce enamine C. Michael addition of enamine C and a-haloketone 1 gives D, which forms E via P-elimination. Intramolecular nucleophilic substitution then generates F, which undergoes rapid isomerization to form the desired pyrrole 3. 

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