Quinoxaline addition reactions with nucleophiles

Quinoxalines undergo facile addition reactions with nucleophilic reagents. The reaction of quinoxaline with allylmagnesium bromide gives, after hydrolysis of the initial adduct, 86% of 2,3-diallyl-l,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoxaline. Quinoxaline is more reactive to this nucleophile than related aza-heterocyclic compounds, and the observed order of reactivity is pyridine < quinoline isoquinoline < phenan-thridine acridine < quinoxaline. ... 

Cyclization of amidines 1 to the corresponding quinoxalin-3-amine 1-oxides 2 can be readily achieved by reaction with bases. This ring closure occurs via deprotonation of the benzyl group and intramolecular nucleophilic addition to the nitro group giving structurally definite compounds, in contrast to the mono-A -oxidation reaction of the parent hcterocycles (sec Section6.3.2.1.4.1.). ... 

In a so-called vicarious nucleophilic substitution of hydrogen,75 2,3-diphenylpyrido[2,3-6]-pyrazine is alkylated in the 8-position by [(chloromethyl)sulfonyl]benzene. This reaction proceeds by addition of the carbanion to the electron-deficient ring position of a nitroarene or electrophilic heteroaromatic system, followed by base-induced -elimination of the corresponding hydrogen halide.76,77 As with quinoxalines and naphthyridines, the reaction with pyrido[2,3-6]pyrazines also affords products bisannulated at the pyrazine or the pyridine moiety, depending on the kind of 2/3-substitution (cf. Section 7.2.3.1.2.2.2.). 

Ring substituents show enhanced reactivity towards nucleophilic substitution, relative to the unoxidized systems, with substituents a to the fV-oxide showing greater reactivity than those in the /3-position. In the case of quinoxalines and phenazines the degree of labilization of a given substituent is dependent on whether the intermediate addition complex is stabilized by mesomeric interactions and this is easily predicted from valence bond considerations. 2-Chloropyrazine 1-oxide is readily converted into 2-hydroxypyrazine 1-oxide (l-hydroxy-2(l//)-pyrazinone) (55) on treatment with dilute aqueous sodium hydroxide (63G339), whereas both 2,3-dichloropyrazine and 3-chloropyrazine 1-oxide are stable under these conditions. This reaction is of particular importance in the preparation of pyrazine-based hydroxamic acids which have antibiotic properties. 

There is some debate in the literature as to the actual mechanism of the Beirut reaction. It is not clear which of the electrophilic nitrogens of BFO is the site of nucleophilic attack or if the reactive species is the dinitroso compound 10. In the case of the unsubstituted benzofurazan oxide (R = H), the product is the same regardless of which nitrogen undergoes the initial condensation step. When R 7 H, the nucleophilic addition step determines the structure of the product and, in fact, isomeric mixtures of quinoxaline-1,4-dioxides are often observed. One report suggests that N-3 of the more stable tautomer is the site of nucleophilic attack in accord with observed reaction products. However, a later study concludes that the product distribution can be best rationalized by invoking the ortho-dinitrosobenzene form 10 as the reactive intermediate. 

The Stille reaction featuring bromoquinoxaline 84 and vinylstannane delivered vinylquinoxaline 85. In addition, 85 was further manipulated to a 5-aminomethylquinoxaline-2,3-dione 86 as an AMPA receptor antagonist [47]. Pd-catalyzed nucleophilic substitution on the benzene ring has also been described [48]. Thus, transformation of 5,8-diiodoquinoxalines to quinoxaline-5,8-dimalononitriles with sodium malononitrile was promoted by PdCl2,(Ph3P)2. 

Aldos-2-ulose 1-phenylhydrazones react with differently substituted hydrazines to yield mixed arylosazones.347 352 In addition, they react with o-phenylenediamine to give quinoxalines (as seen in Scheme 29).347-352 It seems that the phenylhydrazone residue undergoes nucleophilic substitution with o-phenylenediamine, either directly or after hydrolysis to the al-dosulose, to give a quinoxaline lacking a hydrazone residue. If the hydra-zone residue is stabilized by chelation, as in the case of compound 175, the reaction proceeds with retention of the hydrazone residue in the quinoxaline formed (176) (Scheme 38).314... 

In 1965 researchers at the American University of Beirut observed that combining benzofurazan oxides with morpholine-cyclohexene in methanol afforded quinoxaline-1,4-dioxide in 48% yield. There is some debate in the literature as to the exact mechanism of the Beirut reaction. In the case of benzofurazan oxides reacting with an enamine, the following mechanism is generally accepted in the literature. The first step is nucleophilic addition of the enamine to the electrophilic benzofurazan oxide to form the ammonium zwitterion. Ring closure occurs via condensation of... 

Air oxygen can also play the role of oxidant in the amination reactions. It is well known that 1,4-benzoquinone reacts with aliphatic amines in the presence of copper acetate to give 2,5-bis(dialkylamino)-l,4-benzoquinones in good yields [64]. The reaction mechanism involves nucleophilic 1,4-addition followed by oxidation of intermediate aminohydroquinones with air oxygen. The reactions of this type, which are also inherent to ort/io-quinones, have been reviewed earlier [65, 66]. It is interesting that amination is also possible in case of some heterocyclic phenols, which are first converted in situ into the corresponding ort/io-quinones. This approach has successfully been exploited to aminate ort/io-quinones generated from quinolines, indoles, acridines, isoquinolines, quinoxalines, benzofurans, and benzothiazoles (Scheme 15) (for review, see [65, 66]). 

It should be pointed out that the formation of spiro-quinoxaline derivative 134 could be due to the Michael addition of hydrazine to the partially positive C(3) atom of the quinoxalin-2(l//)-one 50 in the first stage of the reaction mechanism with the formation of intermediate A capable reversible tautomerization to intermediate B. Then cyclization involves the nucleophilic attack of the amino group on the carbonyl group of the 3-arylacylidene fragment of quinoxalin-2(l//)-one (Scheme 6.53). 

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