Pyrroles rearrangement

N-Phenyl Dewar pyrrole rearranges spontaneously to a cyclobutaindole while other Dewar pyrroles are stable at room temperature and thermally or photo-chemically isomerized to the pyrroles 124). 

Molecular ions of cyclopropyl cyanide, allyl cyanide, methacrylonitrile, and pyrrole rearrange to one common radical ion, most likely that of pyrrole [4]. 

To meet the needs of the advanced students, preparations have now been included to illustrate, for example, reduction by lithium aluminium hydride and by the Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley method, oxidation by selenium dioxide and by periodate, the Michael, Hoesch, Leuckart and Doebner-Miller Reactions, the Knorr pyrrole and the Hantzsch collidine syntheses, various Free Radical reactions, the Pinacol-Pinacolone, Beckmann and Arbusov Rearrangements, and the Bart and the Meyer Reactions, together with many others. 

Ketones are rearranged oxidatively by reaction of the corresponding enols with thallium(III), e.g. to yield pyrroleacetic acids from acetyl pyrroles (G.W. Kenner, 1973 B W. Rotermund, 1975). 

Photolysis of pyridazine IV-ethoxycarbonylimide results in the formation of the pyrrole derivative (56). The rearrangement is postulated to proceed via a diaziridine, followed by ring expansion to the corresponding 1,2,3-triazepine derivative and rearrangement to a triazabicycloheptadiene, from which finally a molecule of nitrogen is eliminated (Scheme 19) (80CPB2676). 

Pyridazinones may undergo ring contraction to pyrroles, pyrazoles and indoles, the process being induced either by an acid or base. The structure of the final product is strongly dependent on the reaction conditions. For example, 4,5-dichloro-l-phenylpyridazin-6(lFT)-one rearranges thermally to 4-chloro-l-phenylpyrazole-5-carboxylic acid (12S), while in aqueous base the corresponding 4-hydroxy acid (126) is formed (Scheme 40). 

There are some recent examples of this type of synthesis of pyridazines, but this approach is more valuable for cinnolines. Alkyl and aryl ketazines can be transformed with lithium diisopropylamide into their dianions, which rearrange to tetrahydropyridazines, pyrroles or pyrazoles, depending on the nature of the ketazlne. It is postulated that the reaction course is mainly dependent on the electron density on the carbon termini bearing anionic charges (Scheme 65) (78JOC3370). 

The thermal reactions of pyrroles include the rearrangement of A-substituted pyrroles to C-substituted derivatives (Scheme 1). The rearrangement of A-acylpyrroles has also been reported to occur in the vapour phase on irradiation. 

The light-induced rearrangement of 2-phenyl- to 3-phenyl-thiophene may occur by a similar mechanism an equilibrium between the bicyclic intermediate (26) and the cyclopro-penylthioaldehyde (27) has been suggested (Scheme 2). The formation of IV-substituted pyrroles on irradiation of either furans or thiophenes in the presence of a primary amine supports this suggestion (Scheme 3). Irradiation of 2-phenylselenophene yields, in addition to 3-phenylselenophene, the enyne PhC=C—CH=CH2 and selenium. Photolysis of 2-phenyltellurophene furnishes solely the enyne and tellurium (76JOM(108)183). 

The acid-catalyzed rearrangements of substituted pyrroles and thiophenes consequent on ipso protonation have been referred to previously (Section 3.02.2.4.2). There is some evidence that these rearrangements are intramolecular in nature since in the case of acid-induced rearrangement of 2-acylpyrroles to 3-acylpyrroles no intermolecular acylation of suitable substrates could be demonstrated (Scheme 10) (8UOC839). 

Interesting results have been obtained in intramolecular acylation reactions involving pyrrole and thiophene derivatives. A muscone synthesis involves selective intramolecular acylation at a vacant a-position (Scheme 18) (80JOC1906). In attempts to prepare 5,5-fused systems via intramolecular acylation reactions on to a jS-position of a thiophene or a pyrrole, in some cases ipso substitution occurs with the result that rearranged products are formed (Scheme 19) (82TH30200). 

Furan undergoes 1,4-addition with ethoxycarbonyinitrene to give, after rearrangement, the pyrrolinone (121). The corresponding reaction with pyrrole gives a mixture of (122) and (123) (64TL2185). 

A-Substituted pyrroles, furans and dialkylthiophenes undergo photosensitized [2 + 2] cycloaddition reactions with carbonyl compounds to give oxetanes. This is illustrated by the addition of furan and benzophenone to give the oxetane (138). The photochemical reaction of pyrroles with aliphatic aldehydes and ketones results in the regiospecific formation of 3-(l-hydroxyalkyl)pyrroles (e.g. 139). The intermediate oxetane undergoes rearrangement under the reaction conditions (79JOC2949). 

Acyl-pyrroles, -furans and -thiophenes in general have a similar pattern of reactivity to benzenoid ketones. Acyl groups in 2,5-disubstituted derivatives are sometimes displaced during the course of electrophilic substitution reactions. iV-Alkyl-2-acylpyrroles are converted by strong anhydrous acid to A-alkyl-3-acylpyrroles. Similar treatment of N-unsubstituted 2- or 3-acyIpyrroles yields an equilibrium mixture of 2- and 3-acylpyrroles pyrrolecarbaldehydes also afford isomeric mixtures 81JOC839). The probable mechanism of these rearrangements is shown in Scheme 65. A similar mechanism has been proposed for the isomerization of acetylindoles. 

These observations can be extrapolated to the pyrrole series the 2-amino derivatives are very unstable whereas 3-aminopyrroles appear to be more stable. 3-Amino-l-tritylpyr-role (162) appears to exist in solution exclusively in the imino-A -pyrroline form (163) (83JCS(P1)93). 2-Aminoindole (164) is unusual in that it exists mainly as the 3//-tautomer (165). 4-Alkylaminoindoles (166) undergo an unexpected rearrangement to 4-amino-1-alkylindoles (167) when heated with p-toluenesulfonic acid hydrate (82CC1356). 

The Piloty-Robinson pyrrole synthesis (74JOC2575,18JCS639) may be viewed as a monocyclic equivalent of the Fischer indole synthesis. The conversion of ketazines into pyrroles under strongly acidic conditions apparently proceeds through a [3,3] sigmatropic rearrange-... 

The rearrangement of thiophenes to the isomeric pyrroles has proven synthetically useful (Schemes 98a and 98b). In the absence of a suitable internal nucleophilic nitrogen, so-called degenerate ring transformations may occur (Schemes 98c and 98d). 

Whereas the cycloaddition of arylazirines with simple alkenes produces A -pyrrolines, a rearranged isomer can be formed when the alkene and the azirine moieties are suitably arranged in the same molecule. This type of intramolecular photocycloaddition was first detected using 2-vinyl-substituted azirines (75JA4682). Irradiation of azirine (54) in benzene afforded a 2,3-disubstituted pyrrole (55), while thermolysis gave a 2,5-disubstituted pyrrole (56). Photolysis of azirine (57) proceeded similarly and gave 1,2-diphenylimidazole (58) as the exclusive photoproduct. This stands in marked contrast to the thermal reaction of (57) which afforded 1,3-diphenylpyrazole (59) as the only product. 

The thermal transformations observed with these systems can be rationalized in terms of an equilibration of the 1-azirine with a transient vinylnitrene which subsequently rearranges to the 2,5-disubstituted pyrrole (56). 

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