Pyrrole nucleophilic attack

Pyrrole, furan or thiophene do not react with nucleophilic reagents by substitution or addition but only by proton transfer. However, it should be noted that protonated pyrroles are susceptible to nucleophilic attack (see Section 3.02.2.4.5). 

In many cases, substituents linked to a pyrrole, furan or thiophene ring show similar reactivity to those linked to a benzenoid nucleus. This generalization is not true for amino or hydroxyl groups. Hydroxy compounds exist largely, or entirely, in an alternative nonaromatic tautomeric form. Derivatives of this type show little resemblance in their reactions to anilines or phenols. Thienyl- and especially pyrryl- and furyl-methyl halides show enhanced reactivity compared with benzyl halides because the halogen is made more labile by electron release of the type shown below. Hydroxymethyl and aminomethyl groups on heteroaromatic nuclei are activated to nucleophilic attack by a similar effect. 

Azirines react with enolate anions. Initial nucleophilic attack on phenyl 1-azirine by the enolate anion derived from acetophenone gives intermediate (223) which undergoes 1,2-bond cleavage, cyclization and hydroxyl group elimination to give pyrrole (226). 

Imidazolium halides pyrolysis, 5, 449 Imidazolium ions acylation, 5, 402 H NMR, 5, 352 hydrogen exchange, 5, 417 nucleophilic attack, 5, 375 reactivity, 5, 375 ring opening, S, 375 Imidazolium oxides in pyrrole synthesis, 4, 344 Imidazolium perchlorate, 1,3-diphenyl-acylation, 5, 402 Imidazolium salts 1-acetyl-... 

Weak nucleophiles attack the 2-position with ring opening to form pyrrole derivatives after cyclization. The bromopseudooxazalone 62a yields the pyrroline 65 in methanolic potassium carbonate. 

The foregoing examples show that the nucleophilic attack to nitroarenes at theorr/io-posidcn followed by cyclizadon is a generid method for the synthesis of various heterocycles. When nucleophiles have an electrophilic center, heterocyclic compounds are obtained in one step. Ono and coworkers have used the anion dedved from ethyl isocyanoacetate as the reacdve anion for the preparadon of heterocyclic compounds. The carbanion reacts with various nitroarenes to give isoindoles or pyriirddines depending on the stnicture of nitroarenes fEqs. 9.56 and9.57. The synthesis of pyrroles is discussed in detail in Chapter 10. 

Other examples of nucleophilic attack on the oxirane ring include the formation of (3-halohydrins with silica-gel supported lithium halides <96TL1845>, the addition of amines catalyzed by lithium triflate, an ersatz for lithium perchlorate <96TL7715>, and the addition of pyrroles, indoles and imidazoles under high pressure i.e., 91 —> 93) <96JOC984>. 

Ab initio and density functional calculations indicate that the first step of the abnormal Reimer-Tiemann reaction involves barrierless formation of an intermediate by nucleophilic attack on CCl2 of the /3-carbon of pyrrole anion. " This is followed by a single, concerted step to give the product, 3-chloropyridine. 

As described in the previous sections, a variety of nucleophiles attack the Cy atom of ruthenium-allenylidene intermediates. Aromatic compounds should also be suitable candidates and this was found to be the case [30]. Thus, reactions of propargylic alcohols with heteroaromatic compounds such as furans, thiophenes, pyrroles, and indoles in the presence of a diruthenium catalyst such as la proceeded smoothly to afford the corresponding propargylated heteroaromatic compounds in high yields with complete regioselectivity (Scheme 7.25). The reaction is considered to be an electrophilic aromatic substitution if viewed from the side of aromatic compounds. 

The [4+1] annulation of 1-azadienes to pyrroles can also be achieved through their carbonyl iron complexes (Scheme 6). Novel complex (1,4-diphenyl-2-methyl-l-azabutadiene)tricarbonyliron (0) 24 was obtained in 40% yield from the corresponding azadiene 23 and Fe2(CO)9 then nucleophilic attack by methyl lithium and quenching with tert-butyl bromide, as the proton source, gave 2,5-dimethyl-l,3-diphenylpyrrole 26 in 70% yield, probably through the anionic intermediate complex 25 [88TL1425 90JCS(P1)761]. 

Nucleophilic aromatic substitutions 1,3-azoles are more reactive than pyrrole, furan or thiaphene towards nucleophilic attack. Some examples of nucleophilic aromatic substitutions of oxazole, imidazole and thiazoles and their derivatives are given below. In the reaction with imidazole, the presence of a nitro-group in the reactant can activate the reaction because the nitro-group can act as an electron acceptor. 

The palladium catalysed substitution reaction of allylic systems has also been utilised in the formation of five membered rings. Intramolecular nucleophilic attack of the amide nitrogen atom on the allylpalladium complex formed in the oxidative addition of the allyl acetate moiety on the catalyst led to the formation of the five membered ring (3.63.). In the presence of a copper(II) salt the intermediate pyrroline derivative oxidized to pyrrole.80... 

Nucleophilic attack on neutral pyrroles, furans and thiophenes without strongly electron-withdrawing substituents is restricted to deprotonation at N or C atoms. However, the cations formed by electrophilic attack on pyrrole, furan and thiophene rings react readily with weak nucleophiles, resulting in overall addition or ring-opening reactions. 

An interesting example of the nucleophilic displacement of an amino group from a pyrrole system has been reported for the acid-catalyzed conversion of 3-amino-2-(2-amino-phenyl)pyrrole (147) into the pyrrolo[3,2-6]indoIe (148) (81JCS(Pl)l). That the nucleophilic attack occurs on the protonated aminopyrrole has been proven by 15N labelling of the... 

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