REACTIONS AT HETEROAROMATIC RINGS

The diazotization of amino derivatives of six-membered heteroaromatic ring systems, particularly that of aminopyridines and aminopyridine oxides, was studied in detail by Kalatzis and coworkers. Diazotization of 3-aminopyridine and its derivatives is similar to that of aromatic amines because of the formation of rather stable diazonium ions. 2- and 4-aminopyridines were considered to resist diazotization or to form mainly the corresponding hydroxy compounds. However, Kalatzis (1967 a) showed that true diazotization of these compounds proceeds in a similar way to that of the aromatic amines in 0,5-4.0 m hydrochloric, sulfuric, or perchloric acid, by mixing the solutions with aqueous sodium nitrite at 0 °C. However, the rapidly formed diazonium ion is hydrolyzed very easily within a few minutes (hydroxy-de-diazonia-tion). The diazonium ion must be used immediately after formation, e. g., for a diazo coupling reaction, or must be stabilized as the diazoate by prompt neutralization (after 45 s) to pH 10-11 with sodium hydroxide-borax buffer. All isomeric aminopyridine-1-oxides can be diazotized in the usual way (Kalatzis and Mastrokalos, 1977). The diazotization of 5-aminopyrimidines results in a complex ring opening and conversion into other heterocyclic systems (see Nemeryuk et al., 1985). 

Mejla-Oneto and Padwa have explored intramolecular [3+2] cycloaddition reactions of push-pull dipoles across heteroaromatic jr-systems induced by microwave irradiation [465]. The push-pull dipoles were generated from the rhodium(II)-cata-lyzed reaction of a diazo imide precursor containing a tethered heteroaromatic ring. In the example shown in Scheme 6.276, microwave heating of a solution of the diazo imide precursor in dry benzene in the presence of a catalytic amount of rhodium I) pivalate and 4 A molecular sieves for 2 h at 70 °C produced a transient cyclic carbonyl ylide dipole, which spontaneously underwent cydoaddition across the tethered benzofuran Jt-system to form a pentacyclic structure related to alkaloids of the vindoline type. 

Substitution of halogens on heteroaromatic rings is a common way to introduce new functionalities. The product from reaction 6 (Scheme 6) was required on a 100-g scale as an intermediate. In the literature, this exchange was done on a 5-g scale using ammonia in ethanol in a sealed tube under pressure for 6 h at 125-130°C with a yield of 76% (Bendich et al. 1954). Because of the lack of a suitable autoclave for high-pressure reactions, we choose the microwave reactor for scale-up trials. Using our Synthos 3000 equipment, we found suitable conditions with only minimal optimization at 170°C for 180 min and obtained the desired product on a 60-g scale in 83% yield. 

In contrast with aliphatic nucleophilic substitution, nucleophilic displacement reactions on aromatic rings are relatively slow and require activation at the point of attack by electron-withdrawing substituents or heteroatoms, in the case of heteroaromatic systems. With non-activated aromatic systems, the reaction generally involves an elimination-addition mechanism. The addition of phase-transfer catalysts generally enhances the rate of these reactions. 

Table 1 Thermodynamic and spin density information for methyl hydrogen atom loss reactions of methyl-substituted heteroaromatic rings. Enthalpies and energies in kcal/mol, obtained at the B3LYP/6-31 l+G //B3LYP/6-31G (designated as B3LYP) and CBS-QB3 (designated as CBS) levels...

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