Thionyl chloride Pummerer rearrangement

The synthesis of the benzoimidazo[l,2- ][l,2,3]thiadiazole 61 can be explained using the same mechanistic model to that used for the Hurd-Mori reaction. The amino benzimidazole 58 when treated with thionyl chloride at reflux affords the benzoimidazo[l,2-r ][l,2,3]thiadiazole 61. If, however, the reactant 58 is treated with thionyl chloride at room temperature, the chloromethyl derivative 59 is formed. This derivative was then transformed into product 61 on reflux with thionyl chloride. The proposed mechanism for the formation of product 61 is for the initial formation of the sulfoxide 60, which then undergoes a Pummerer-like rearrangement, followed by loss of SO2 and HC1 to give the c-fused 1,2,3-thiadiazole 61 (Scheme 7) <2003TL6635>. 

Among other electrophilic reagents ctq>able of twinging about the Pummerer rearrangement are halides of organic and inorganic acids. As these halides transform sulfoxides into a-chlorosulfides they complement the sulfide chlorination route to these compounds. Thionyl chloride reacts readily with sulfoxides and 3-keto sulfoxides methyl phenyl sulfoxide furnishes chloromethyl phenyl sulfide (equation 37). Benzoyl chloride and acetyl chloride behave similarly. d yanuric chloii is transformed into cyanuric acid by dimethyl sulfoxide, which in turn is transformed into methyl chloromethyl sulfide (equation 3g).54,S5... 

As with trifluoroacetic anhydride, activation of dimethyl sulfoxide with thionyl chloride must be carried out at low temperatures as the reaction is highly exothenmic. Besides the higher yields, a further advantage of thionyl chloride to activate dimethyl sulfoxide over anhydrides is the lack of Pummerer rearrangement products or of esters formed as by-products (as long as Ae reactions are carried out below -60 C). This is amply demonstrated by the oxidation of (-)-bomeol which proceeds in an excellent 99% yield (equation 12). ... 

The previous reaction describes the synthesis of a novel class of heterocycles by the name of [l,2,3]thiadiazolo[4,5- /]-pyrimidines. Visibly, a redox process is involved, whereby the initial hydrazine derivative becomes an R-N=N-R system and, at the same time, the sulfur atom in thionyl chloride is converted to an azo-sulfide. The transfer of oxidaton level from sulfur—as sulfoxide—to the neighboring atom is a well documented process in sulfur chemistry that is called the Pummerer rearrangement. In essence, it involves the treatment of sulfoxides with an electrophile such as acetic anhydride to yield an a-acetoxy sulfide, according to the following sequence (see Scheme 26.1) ... 

Conceivably, the azo-ir system of II could be derived from the internal redox reaction implied in the elimination-addition sequence depicted in the production of III. Subsequent /3 elimination would afford the desired double bond. In the case of nitrogen as the neighboring atom the ylide intermediate of Scheme 26.1 would not be necessary since the availability of a nonbonding pair of electrons should make the use of base accessory. Thus the reaction pathway would be subsequently shortened. Moreover, the required electrophile, thionyl chloride, would be present in the reaction medium in large quantity. The prospect of a Pummerer-type rearrangement during the transformation of I into II is therefore likely. 

Alternatively, 213 was synthesized from 1 upon treatment with thionyl chloride in benzene (81JOC4911) or in pyridine (81ZOR990). The reaction involved an initial attack at C-2 followed by a Pummerer rearrangement (81JOC4911). A[,Al -f>is(phenylsulfonyl)sulfurdiimide... 

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