Facile synthesis of 3-nitro-2-substituted thiophenes.

A new approach to 3-nitro-2-substituted thiophenes has been developed. Exposure of commercially available 1,4-dithane-2,5-diol to nitroalkenes in the presence of 20% triethylamine results in a tandem Michael-intramolecular Henry reaction to form the corresponding tetrahydrothiophene. Subsequent microwave irradiation on acidic alumina in the presence of chloranil effects the solvent free dehydration and aromatization to form 3-nitro-2-substituted thiophenes cleanly and rapidly. A simple workup procedure removes the requirement for purification by chromatography in most cases.

Amidine dications as superelectrophiles.

2-Dimethylalkylammonium pyridinium and 2-dimethylalkylammonium pyrimidinium ditriflate salts are very powerful methylating agents toward phosphorus (triphenylphosphine) and nitrogen (triethylamine) nucleophiles. In competition experiments with triethylamine as nucleophile, these N-methyl disalts are more reactive methylating agents than dimethyl sulfate. Reaction of the pyridinium dications with water as an oxygen nucleophile leads to attack at the 2-position of the heteroaromatic ring and displacement of an ammonium group; 2-hydroxypyridinium compounds are formed in the first instance, which are easily converted to 2-pyridones. Extending the scope of the reactions, a tricationic 2,6-bis(dimethylalkylammonium)pyridinium salt has also been prepared and characterized and its reactivity as a methylating agent assessed in comparison with that of the dications.

Effect of chain length on radical to carbanion cyclo-coupling of bromoaryl alkyl-linked oxazolines: 1,3-areneotropic migration of oxazolines.

2-Halophenylalkyl-2-oxazolines with alkyl chain spacers of two to six C atoms (n = 0-4) were prepared and their SRN1-type reactions with several base systems examined. The best conditions to promote cyclo-coupling to the corresponding benzocycloalkane derivatives involved use of LDA in THF. The precursors with 3-C-atom and 4-C-atom spacers gave good yields of 2-(1'-phenylindan-1'-yl)-2-oxazolines and 2-(1-phenyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalen-1-yl)-2-oxazoline, respectively. The major products from the precursor with a 5-C-atom spacer were derivatives of benzocycloheptane in which the oxazoline group had undergone a novel areneotropic migration from the end of the spacer to the benzo ring. The product from reaction of the corresponding 2-C-atom precursor was a 9-oxazolinophenanthrene derivative. EPR spectroscopy showed the intermediates of the LDA-promoted reactions to be radical anions of the product benzocycloalkanes. This supported an SRN1-type chain mechanism involving initial production of aryl radicals connected to azaenolate ions via the spacer groups. Intramolecular radical to carbanion coupling then generated ring-closed benzocycloalkane radical anions that transferred an electron to more precursor. Diastereoselective radical to carbanion cyclo-coupling reactions were carried out with 2-bromophenylpropyl precursors containing chiral 2-oxazolines. The diastereoselectivity achievable was modest, but the product diastereoisomeric Indane derivatives were easily separable by chromatography.

Radical-carbanion cyclo-coupling in armed aromatics: overriding steric hindrance to ring closure.

Omega-(2-Halophenyl)alkyl-2-oxazolines were prepared and reacted via base promoted intramolecular coupling of radical with carbanionic centres to yield 1-phenyl-1-oxazolino-indan and -tetralin derivatives containing quaternary C-atoms.

Axial and equatorial cyclohexylacyl and tetrahydropyranyl-2-acyl radicals. An experimental and theoretical study.

Axial and equatorial cyclohexylacyl and tetrahydropyranyl-2-acyl radicals gave distinct EPR spectra thanks to surprisingly large beta-hydrogen atom hyperfine splittings that enabled them to be characterized and monitored. DFT computations indicated that the axial species (X = CH(2)) had a higher barrier to rotation about the (O)C(alpha)-C(beta) bond. The computed difference Delta H degrees for the axial and equatorial radicals (R = H, X = CH(2)) was 0.8 kcal mol(-)(1).