Vilsmeier

Vilsmeier reagent The reagent obtained from POCI3 mixed with either N,N-dimethyl-formamide or N-methylformanilide. Used for introducing the methanoyl (formyl) (-CHO) group into activated aromatic substrates. 

For aromatic hydrocarbons some very efficient formytation and acylation procedures are known (e.g. Friedel-Crafts, Vilsmeier, Gattermann-Koch), They are treated in introductory text books. 

The pyridine-like nitrogen of the 2H-pyrrol-2-yiidene unit tends to withdraw electrons from the conjugated system and deactivates it in reactions with electrophiles. The add-catalyzed condensations described above for pyrroles and dipyrromethanes therefore do not occur with dipyrromethenes. Vilsmeier formylation, for example, is only successful with pyrroles and dipyrromethanes but not with dipyrromethenes. 

Vilsmeier-Haack conditions have been used most frequently for formylation but are also applicable to longer acyl chains[3]. Reactions with lactams generate 3-(iminyl)indoles which can be hydrolysed to generate co-aminoacyl groups as in equation 11.6 [4]. 

Section C of Table 11,5 gives some examples of Friedel-Crafts and Vilsmeier-Haack acylations of indoles. 

Aromatic and heterocycHc compounds are formylated by reaction with dialkyl- or alkylarylformamides in the presence of phosphoms oxychloride or phosgene (Vilsmeier aldehyde synthesis) (125). The Vilsmeier reaction is a Friedel-Crafts type formylation (126), since the intermediate cation formed by the interaction of phosphoms oxychloride with formamide is a typical electrophilic reagent. Ionic addition compounds of formamide with phosgene or phosphoms oxychloride are also known (127). 

The Gattermann-Koch reaction when appHed to alkenes or alkanes gives ketones or acids but not aldehydes. However, the Vilsmeier aldehyde synthesis can be appHed to aUphatic compounds. For example, 1,2-diaLkoxyethylenes react with /V-methy1foTmani1ide and POCl to give alkoxymalondialdehydes ... 

Acylation. Acylation is the most rehable means of introducing a 3-substituent on the indole ring. Because 3-acyl substituents can be easily reduced to 3-aLkyl groups, a two-step acylation—reduction sequence is often an attractive alternative to direct 3-aLkylation. Several kinds of conditions have been employed for acylation. Very reactive acyl haUdes, such as oxalyl chloride, can effect substitution directiy without any catalyst. Normal acid chlorides are usually allowed to react with the magnesium (15) or 2inc (16) salts. The Vilsmeier-Haack conditions involving an amide and phosphoms oxychloride, in which a chloroiminium ion is the active electrophile, frequentiy give excellent yields of 3-acylindoles. 

Although POCl is the traditional reagent in the Vilsmeier aldehyde synthesis, phosgene may be employed (27—29). 

Acylthiophenes. Manufacturing methods introducing the carboxaldehyde group into the 2- or 5-positions of thiophene and alkylthiophenes utilise the Vilsmeier-Haack reaction. To synthesize 2-thiophenecarboxaldehyde (Table 5), a controlled addition of phosphoms oxychloride to thiophene in /V, /V- dim ethyl form am i de is carried out, causing the temperature to rise. Completion of the reaction is followed by an aqueous quench, neutralization, and solvent extraction to isolate the product. 

Alkyl substituents. The steric effect of 1-alkyl substituents in the pyrrole series has been demonstrated in, for example, Vilsmeier formylation reactions. Thus as the bulk of the alkyl substituent on nitrogen is increased e.g. from Me to Bu ) so does the proportion of /3 substitution (70JCS(C)2573). A similar trend has been observed in a series of experiments on the trifiuoroacetylation of A-alkylpyrroles with trifluoroacetic anhydride (80JCR(S)42). 

Frontier orbital theory predicts that electrophilic substitution of pyrroles with soft electrophiles will be frontier controlled and occur at the 2-position, whereas electrophilic substitution with hard electrophiles will be charge controlled and occur at the 3-position. These predictions may be illustrated by the substitution behaviour of 1-benzenesulfonylpyr-role. Nitration and Friedel-Crafts acylation of this substrate occurs at the 3-position, whereas the softer electrophiles generated in the Mannich reaction (R2N=CH2), in formylation under Vilsmeier conditions (R2N=CHC1) or in formylation with dichloromethyl methyl ether and aluminum chloride (MeO=CHCl) effect substitution mainly in the 2-position (81TL4899, 81TL4901). Formylation of 2-methoxycarbonyl-l-methylpyrrole with... 

The benzo[6] heterocycles are generally less reactive than their monocyclic counterparts. Thus benzo[6]thiophene unlike thiophene does not undergo Vilsmeier formylation or the Mannich reaction. 

The most useful general method for the C-acylation of pyrroles is the Vilsmeier-Haack procedure in which pyrrole is treated with the phosphoryl chloride complex (55a, b) of an AiA-dialkylamide (54). The intermediate imine salt (56) is hydrolyzed subsequently under mildly alkaline conditions to give the acylated pyrrole (57). On treatment of the imminium salt (56 R =H) with hydroxylamine hydrochloride and one equivalent of pyridine and heating in DMF, 2-cyanopyrrole (58) is formed (80CJC409). 

No significant amounts of diacylated products are obtained under Vilsmeier-Haack conditions an indirect method for preparing pyrrole-2,5-dicarbaldehydes is outlined in Scheme 16 (78S295, 82CJC383). 

Furan can also be acylated by the Vilsmeier-Haack method. Acylation of furans can also be carried out with acid anhydrides and acyl halides in the presence of Friedel-Crafts catalysts (BF3-Et20, SnCU or H3PO4). Reactive anhydrides such as trifluoroacetic anhydride, however, require no catalyst. Acetylation with acetyl p-toluenesulfonate gives high yields. 

Thiophene is also readily acylated under both Friedel-Crafts and Vilsmeier-Haack conditions and similarly to pyrrole and furan gives 2-acylated products. An almost quantitative conversion of thiophene into its 2-benzoyl derivative is obtained by reaction with 2-benzoyloxypyridine and trifluoroacetic acid. The attempted preparation of 2-benzoylthiophene under standard Friedel-Crafts conditions, however, failed (80S139). 

A/ -Methoxycarbonyl-2-pyrroline undergoes Vilsmeier formylation and Friedel-Crafts acylation in the 3-position (82TL1201). In an attempt to prepare a chloropyrroline by chlorination of 2-pyrrolidone, the product (234) was obtained in 62% yield (8UOC4076). At pH 7, two molecules of 2,3-dihydropyrrole add together to give (235), thus exemplifying the dual characteristics of 2,3-dihydropyrroles as imines and enamines. The ability of pyrrolines to react with nucleophiles is central to their biosynthetic role. For example, addition of acetoacetic acid (possibly as its coenzyme A ester) to pyrroline is a key step in the biosynthesis of the alkaloid hygrine (236). 

Although in general azoles do not undergo Friedel-Crafts type alkylation or acylation, several isolated reactions of this general type are known. 3-Phenylsydnone (120) undergoes Friedel-Crafts acetylation and Vilsmeier formylation at the 4-position, and the 5-alkylation of thiazoles by carbonium ions is known. 

Substituted pyrazoles are formylated (Vilsmeier-Haack reaetion) and aeetylated (Friedel-Crafts reaction) at C-4 (B-76MI40402). Both hydroxy and amino substituents in positions 3 and 5 facilitate the reaetion (80ACH(105)127,80CHE1), but the heteroatoms eompete with the C-substitution. For instanee, when the amino derivative (91 R = = Ph, R = H)... 

The stabilized phosphonium ylide (601) reacts with aromatic aldehydes to give N-phenacylpyrazoles (602) in good yields (73CC7). Ketone semicarbazones and ketazines react with two moles of phosphorus oxychloride-DMF, the Vilsmeier-Haack reagent, with the formation of 4-formylpyrazoles (603 R = H or PhC=CH2) (70JHC25, 70TL4215). 

Isoxazoles are presently known to undergo hydrogen exchange, nitration, sulfonation, halogenation, chloroalkylation, hydroxymethylation, Vilsmeier-Haack formylation, and mercuration. The Friedel-Crafts reaction on the isoxazole nucleus has not yet been reported. 

Friedel-Crafts acylation usually fails (72AHC(14)43), but 3-substituted l-methyl-2,1-benzisothiazole 2,2-dioxides can be acetylated at the 5-position (73JHC249). l-Methyl-2,1-benzisothiazol-3-one can be chlorsulfonated at the 5-position (78JHC529). Vilsmeier-Haack formylation causes cleavage of the isothiazole ring (80JCR(S)197). 

H- 1-Benzazepine, lV-benzyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-Vilsmeier formylation, 7, 527 IH-l-Benzazepine, 2,3-dihydro-synthesis, 7, 541 IH-l-Benzazepine, 2,5-dihydro-synthesis, 7, 540... 

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