Substitution Reactions on Azoles

So far little information is available on electrophilic substitution reactions these are mainly expected to occur in the azine ring when activated by electron-releasing substituents. Nucleophilic substitution reactions, however, occur readily in either ring. The N—S bond may be cleaved by nucleophilic attack at sulfur and this may be the preferential reaction path in some cases. The N—S bond may also be cleaved as a result of proton abstraction from the azole ring. 

Abstract Synthesis methods of various C- and /V-nitroderivativcs of five-membered azoles - pyrazoles, imidazoles, 1,2,3-triazoles, 1,2,4-triazoles, oxazoles, oxadiazoles, isoxazoles, thiazoles, thiadiazoles, isothiazoles, selenazoles and tetrazoles - are summarized and critically discussed. The special attention focuses on the nitration reaction of azoles with nitric acid or sulfuric-nitric acid mixture, one of the main synthetic routes to nitroazoles. The nitration reactions with such nitrating agents as acetylnitrate, nitric acid/trifluoroacetic anhydride, nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen tetrox-ide, nitronium tetrafluoroborate, V-nitropicolinium tetrafluoroborate are reported. General information on the theory of electrophilic nitration of aromatic compounds is included in the chapter covering synthetic methods. The kinetics and mechanisms of nitration of five-membered azoles are considered. The nitroazole preparation from different cyclic systems or from aminoazoles or based on heterocyclization is the subject of wide speculation. The particular section is devoted to the chemistry of extraordinary class of nitroazoles - polynitroazoles. Vicarious nucleophilic substitution (VNS) reaction in nitroazoles is reviewed in detail. 

The ability of azoles to electrophilic substitution reactions is determined by the activity of reagents, the basicity of substrates, and the acidity of media. This caused some uncertainty in the interpretation of results and complicated a comparison of the reactivity of various azoles. The situation has changed after Katritzky and Johnson [1] have reported the criteria allowing, with a sufficient degree of reliance, the establishment in what form (base or conjugative acid) the compound reacts. The information on the mechanism of nitration of azoles was basically borrowed from the extensive literature on the nitration of aromatic hydrocarbons [2-8] therefore, we have found expedient to discuss briefly some works in this field. 

Semi-empirical LCAO calculations for all azoles, introducing cr-electrons, indicate that charges are weak except those on NH nitrogen atoms, and that the cr-dipolar moments are close to those of lone pairs. It is therefore inappropriate to take cr-polarity into account in the approximations used in 7r-calculations for these heterocycles. A number of other quantum mechanical calculations have been applied to reactions of imidazoles (80AHC 27)241), while the nucleophilic substitution reactions at C-2 of benzimidazoles, and diazo coupling at C-2 of uncondensed imidazoles have been discussed from theoretical points of view. 

In a neutral azole, the apparent rate of formation of an A-substituted derivative depends on the rate of reaction of a given tautomer and on the tautomeric equilibrium constant. For example, with a 3(5)-substituted pyrazole such as (199), which exists as a mixture of two tautomers (199a) and (199b) in equilibrium, the product composition [(200)]/[(201)] is a function of the rate constants Ha and fcs, as well as of the composition of the tautomeric mixture (Scheme 16) <76AHC(Si)l). 

Thus the activity of the methyl groups in this reaction decreases in the series C-4 > C-5 > C-3. This may be considered as evidence of the inhibiting effect of the nitrogen hetero atom on the radical substitution in methyl groups at C-3 and, to a lesser extent, at C-5 (compare the effect of the heterocyclic nitrogen in the pyridine and azole series ) and of a similar effect of the electron-accepting substituents in the 4-position on the methyl group at C-5. 

The azolide concept can be extended further to other TV-substituted azoles, such as N-sulfonyl- or TV-phosphorylazoles, for which an analogous gradation of reactivity is observed depending on the choice of the specific azole system. The reactions of these compounds are dealt with in Chapters 10 and 12, respectively. 

The preparation of 1,3-azoles (benzoxazoles, benzimidazoles and benzothiazoles) from oximes using oxidants on mineral supports such as Ca(0Cl)2/Al203 or Mu02/Si02 or by fusion in dry media has been described. Eor instance, benzoxazoles 232 can be obtained by reaction of o-aminophenols (R, R = H, N02,C1) with substituted beuzaldehyde oximes 231 in the presence of Ca(0Cl)2/Al203 under microwave irradiation (equation 100). ... 

Diazo(trimethylsilyl)methyl lithium (3) was found to be the reagent of choice for the synthesis of azoles from heterocumulenes (Scheme 8.43). The reaction is typically carried out in ether at 0-20 °C. Thus, alkyl- (or aryl-)substituted keteni-mines are transformed into 1,2,3-triazoles 188 (246), while C-acceptor-substituted ketenimines yield either 4-aminopyrazoles 189 or 1,2,3-triazoles, depending on the substituents (247). Isocyanates are converted into 5-hydroxy-1,2,3-triazoles 190 (248). Reaction of 3 with isothiocyanates are strongly solvent dependent. 

The analogous reactions of pyridines with these electrophilic reagents at the lone pair on the nitrogen atom are well known. All neutral azoles contain a pyridine-like nitrogen atom and therefore similar reactions with electrophiles at this nitrogen would be expected. However, the tendency for such reactions varies considerably in particular, successive heteroatom substitutions markedly decrease the ease of reaction. One convenient quantitative measure of the tendency for such reactions to occur is found in the basicity of these compounds this is treated in Section 3.4.1.3.5 and 3.4.1.3.7. 

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