Quinoxalines, preparation

Chloroquinoxaline with appropriate substituted anilines gave 2-(substituted anihno)quinoxalines (preparative and kinetic aspects were measured in MeOH and EtOH at various precise temperatures). ... 

Prepare a mixture of 4 g. of. V phenylanthranilic acid and 5 ml. of ethanol, and boil the solution under reflux for 20 minutes. Cool the mixture, when the 2,3-diphenylquinoxaline will rapidly crystallise. Filter off the quinoxaline at the pump, and recrystallise it from ethanol. It forms colourless crystals, m.p. 125° Yield, 1 0 g. 

Diisocyanobenzene (130) undergoes living polymerization to form the poly(quinoxaline-2,3-diyl)s 131, and the optically active helical polyfquinoxa-line-2,3-diyl) 132 is prepared from 131[123]. 

Poly(phenylquinoxaline—arnide—imides) are thermally stable up to 430°C and are soluble in polar organic solvents (17). Transparent films of these materials exhibit electrical insulating properties. Quinoxaline—imide copolymer films prepared by polycondensation of 6,6 -meth5lene bis(2-methyl-3,l-benzoxazine-4-one) and 3,3, 4,4 -benzophenone tetracarboxyUc dianhydride and 4,4 -oxydianiline exhibit good chemical etching properties (18). The polymers are soluble, but stable only up to 200—300°C. 

Conflicting reports on the nitration of phenazine have appeared, but the situation was clarified by Albert and Duewell (47MI21400). The early work suggested that 1,3-dinitroph-enazine could be prepared in 66% yield under standard nitration conditions however, this proved to be a mixture of 1-nitrophenazine and 1,9-dinitrophenazine (24). As with pyrazines and quinoxalines, activating substituents in the benzenoid rings confer reactivity which is in accord with valence bond predictions thus, nitration of 2-methoxy- or 2-hydroxy-phenazine results in substitution at the 1-position. 

Inductive and resonance stabilization of carbanions derived by proton abstraction from alkyl substituents a to the ring nitrogen in pyrazines and quinoxalines confers a degree of stability on these species comparable with that observed with enolate anions. The resultant carbanions undergo typical condensation reactions with a variety of electrophilic reagents such as aldehydes, ketones, nitriles, diazonium salts, etc., which makes them of considerable preparative importance. 

Although most of the reactions of preparative importance involving the a-alkyl carbanions are usually carried out under controlled conditions with NHa /NHs being used as the base, a number of reactions using less severe conditions are known, both in the pyrazine and quinoxaline series. In the case of alkylquinoxalines, where an increased number of resonance possibilities exist, mildly basic conditions are usually employed in condensation reactions. 

Many pyrazine and quinoxaline syntheses yield mono- or di-N-oxides (76H(4)769). The condensation of a-aminooximes with 1,2-diketones results in the direct formation of pyrazine mono-N-oxides. The a-aminooximes themselves are not easily prepared but 2-amino-2-deoxy sugars readily form the oximes, which have been condensed with glyoxal to yield the pyrazine 4-oxides (Scheme 18) (72JOC2635, 80JOC1693). 

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. 

The fusion of a benzene ring to pyrazine results in a considerable increase in the resistance to reduction and it is usually difficult to reduce quinoxalines beyond the tetrahydroquinoxa-line state (91). Two possible dihydroquinoxalines, viz. the 1,2- (92) and the 1,4- (93), are known, and 1,4-dihydroquinoxaline appears to be appreciably more stable than 1,4-dihydropyrazine (63JOC2488). Electrochemical reduction appears to follow a course anzdogous to the reduction of pyrazine, giving the 1,4-dihydro derivative which isomerizes to the 1,2- or 3,4-dihydroquinoxaline before subsequent reduction to 1,2,3,4-tetra-hydroquinoxaline (91). Quinoxaline itself is reduced directly to (91) with LiAlH4 and direct synthesis of (91) is also possible. Tetrahydroquinoxalines in which the benzenoid ring is reduced are well known but these are usually prepared from cyclohexane derivatives (Scheme 30). 

Perhaps one of the most exciting developments in the chemistry of quinoxalines and phenazines in recent years originates from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon, where Haddadin and Issidorides first made the observation that benzofuroxans undergo reaction with a variety of alkenic substrates to produce quinoxaline di-AT-oxides in a one-pot reaction which has subsequently become known as the Beirut reaction . Many new reactions tend to fall by the wayside by virtue of the fact that they are experimentally complex or require starting materials which are inaccessible however, in this instance the experimental conditions are straightforward and the starting benzofuroxans are conveniently prepared by hypochlorite oxidation of the corresponding o-nitroanilines or by pyrolysis of o-nitrophenyl azides. 

The cleavage of fused pyrazines represents an important method of synthesis of substituted pyrazines, particularly pyrazinecarboxylic acids. Pyrazine-2,3-dicarboxylic acid is usually prepared by the permanganate oxidation of either quinoxalines or phenazines. The pyrazine ring resembles the pyridine ring in its stability rather than the other diazines, pyridazine and pyrimidine. Fused systems such as pteridines may easily be converted under either acidic or basic conditions into pyrazine derivatives (Scheme 75). 

Amongst synthetic quinoxalines, numerous types of biological activity have been reported. 5,6,7,8-Tetrachloroquinoxaline (132) and related halogenated derivatives have found use in fungicidal formulations. Phosphoric esters of 6-hydroxyquinoxaline (133) have found use in insecticidal preparations, and phosphoric ester derivatives of 2-hydroxyquinoxalines, such as (134), function as anthelmintics. 

Pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyridazines (555) can be prepared readily from hydrazines and pyrazoles substituted in positions 4 and 5 with an acyl and an ester group, or with two ester groups. 4,5-Pyrazolinediones have been used as starting materials for the synthesis of the quinoxaline derivatives (548) (see above) and of pyrazolo[3,4-e][l,2,4]triazines (556)... 

Structure-activity studies of 5,6,7,8-tetrahdyro-5,5,8,8-tetramethyl-2-quinoxaline derivatives necessitated the preparation of thiophene-containing compound 17. Stetter conditions using thiazolium salt 20 as catalyst resulted in the preparation of 1,4-diketone 21 from 18 and 19. Condensation of 21 with phosphorus pentasulfide followed by saponification resulted in 17. In this fashion, the authors replaced the amide linker of parent compound 22 with the rigid thiophene moiety. 

Quinoxaline 1,4-dioxides have also been prepared by condensation reactions carried out on the surface of solid catalysts such as silica gel, " molecular sieves, " or alumina. " As a representative example, " BFO 1 and the P-dicarbonyl compound 16 were combined with silica gel in methanol. The excess methanol was removed by evaporation and the silica gel with adsorbed reagents was allowed to stand for two weeks without drying. The quinoxaline 1,4-dioxide 17 was obtained in 90% yield after elution from a silica gel column. 

Ring fusion seems to occur in the quinoxaline derivative (28), which has been stated to exist in red and blue-black forms. Other derivatives of type 28 are reported. Attempts to prepare 5,6-furo-xanobenzofuroxan by pyrolysis of the azide (29) met with no success. An early example in the literature of such a linear fused structure was shortly afterward revised to the angularly fused type (17). 

C. Preparation of Quinoxalines Using a-Amino Acid Intermediates 210... 

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