1//-Pyrroles reaction with nitrous acid

Upon reaction with nitrous acid, indole produces a complex mixture of products. In addition to 3-oximino-3H -indole (16), which is the stable tautomeric form of 3-nitrosoindole (17), dimeric products of the type (18) and (19) are also formed. In contrast, (16) appears to be the sole product of the nitrosation of indole with amyl nitrite and sodium ethoxide (72HC(25-2)537). Studies of the nitrosation of pyrrole are somewhat indecisive. The mononitrosopyrrole, obtained from the reaction of pyrrole with nitrous acid, has not been fully characterized, but there is some evidence that nitrosation of pyrrole with amyl nitrite and sodium ethoxide leads to the sodium salt of the 3-nitroso derivative. However, upon the addition of acid, the product rearranges to give the oxime of 3-formylisoxazole (20) (B-77MI30502). 

Predictably, nitrosation of 2-acetylpyrrole and pyrrole-2-carboxylic esters with alkyl nitrites or nitrous acid preferentially yields the relatively stable 4-nitroso derivatives, whilst 2,4-dialkyl- or -diaryl-pyrroles are nitrosated at the 5-position. Further reaction of the dialkyl and diaryl nitrosopyrroles with an excess of alkyl nitrite in the absence of a base can result in the formation of the nitropyrroles, whereas the reaction with nitrous acid converts the nitrosopyrroles into diazopyrroles (B-77MI30502). 

The synthesis of a structurally somewhat more complex indolone tyrosine kinase inhibitor starts with the construction of the pyrrole ring. Reaction of tert-butyl acetoacetate (87) with nitrous acid leads to nitrosa-tion on the activated methylene carbon. This reaction introduces the nitrogen atom that will appear in the target pyrrole. Condensation of 88 with... 

The mechanism is presumed to involve a pathway related to those proposed for other base-catalyzed reactions of isocyanoacetates with Michael acceptors. Thus base-induced formation of enolate 9 is followed by Michael addition to the nitroalkene and cyclization of nitronate 10 to furnish 11 after protonation. Loss of nitrous acid and aromatization affords pyrrole ester 12. 

Alternatively, Ballini devised a new strategy to synthesize tri-alkylated pyrroles from 2,5-dialkylfurans and nitroalkanes <00SL391>. This method involves initial oxidation of 2,5-dimethylfuran with magnesium monoperoxyphthalate to cA-3-hexen-2,5-dione (6). Conjugate addition of the nitronate anion derived from the nitro compound 7 to 6 followed by chemoselective hydrogenation of the C-C double bond of the resulting enones 8 (obtained by elimination of nitrous acid from the Michael adduct) completes the conversion to the alkylated y-diketones 9. Final cyclization to pyrroles 10 featured improved Paal-Knorr reaction conditions involving reaction of the diketones with primary amines in a bed of basic alumina in the absence of solvent. 

The idea of employing the reaction of a nitroarene or nitroheterocycle with a mtinchnone to synthesize a fused pyrrole ring system has been developed by two groups. Nesi et al. (109) found that mtinchnone 38 reacts with 3-methyl-4-nitroisoxazole (196) and 4-nitro-3-phenylisoxazole (197) to give the corresponding 5//-pyrrolo[3,4-tf]isoxazoles 198 and 199, respectively, in good yield. Presumably loss of carbon dioxide in a retro-Diels-Alder reaction follows loss of nitrous acid. 

A second type of route from pyrroles to indoles involves construction of a vinylpyrrole suitable for [4 + 2] cycloaddition leading to a dihydro- or tetrahydro-indole (Scheme 19) (80JOC4515, 81T1597). The dihydro systems can be easily aromatized. 2-Nitrovinylpyrroles, which are readily available by condensation of pyrrole-2-carbaldehyde with nitromethane, give fully aromatic indoles on reaction with dienophiles (equation 139) (73JCS(P1)2450). The aromatization results from elimination of nitrous acid and a further dehydrogenation. 

Most aromatic compounds, whether of high or low reactivity, can be nitrated, because a wide variety of nitrating agents is available. For benzene, the simple alkylbenzenes, and less reactive compounds, the most common reagent is a mixture of concentrated nitric and sulfuric acids,but for active substrates, the reaction can be carried out with nitric acid alone, or in water, acetic acid, acetic anhydride, or chloroform.Nitric acid in acetic anhydride/trifluoroacetic anhydride on zeolite H-(3 was used to convert toluene to 2,4-dinitrotoluene, and AcONOi on clay converted ethylbenzene to ortho-para nitro ethylbenzene. " In fact, these milder conditions are necessary for active compounds, such as amines, phenols, and pyrroles, since reaction with mixed nitric and sulfuric acids would oxidize these substrates. With active substrates, such as amines and phenols, nitration can be accomplished by nitrosation under oxidizing conditions with a mixture of dilute nitrous and nitric acids.A mixture of N02/02/Fe(acac)3 can be used for active compounds, as can NaN02 with trichloroisocyanuric acid on wet silica gel, or N2O4 and silica acetate. Trimethoxybenzenes were nitrated easily with ceric ammonium nitrate on silica gel, and mesitylene was nitrated in an... 

In qualitative terms, the much greater reactivity of pyrrole is illustrated by its rapid reaction with weak electrophiles like the benzenediazonium cation and nitrous acid, neither of which reacts with furan or thiophene. It is relevant to note thatiV,iV-dimethylaniline reacts rapidly with these reactants, whereas anisole does not. 

Nitrosopyrroles are intermediates in the direct conversion of pyrroles into diazopyrroles in buffered nitrous acid solutions , 280, The reaction with a j8-nitrosopyrrole, as in the conversion of 2,4,5-triphenylpyrrole into 3-diazo-2,4,5-triphenylpyrrole277, is faster than with an a-nitrosopyrrole. Thus, in the formation of 2-diazo-3,5-diphenylpyrrole from 2,4-diphenyl-pyrrole, the intermediate stage can easily be isolated . 

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