TetrahedronLettersNo= 36, Pp 3167 - 3170,1974. PerganonPrecm. Printed in Great Britoln.
REDUCTION SYNTHESIS
OF &HALOGENATED
OF PYRROLES
AND
I M I N ES
AZIRIDI
NES
Lucette Duhamel and Jean-Yves Valnot Organic Chemistry Laboratory of the Faculty of Sciences and Techniques of Rouen 76130 - Mont-Saint-Aignan, France (Reoeived in UK 10 July 1974;acceptedfor publication 31 July 1974) We have recently demonstrated that the reactions of metals such as lithium or magnesium with
a(-halogenatedimines 1
yield the isomeric pyrroles
2
and
By varying'the nature of the metal and the solvent, the reaction can be
3.
directed toward either isomer (1,2,3). In all cases, the isomeric pyrroles and
2
are accompanied by varying quantities of imine 3
2
. The imines 4,
which are easily separated by distillation, are formed by reduction. __3
R-CH-CH=N-R'
‘OR
or/and
'9:
R,H2-CH=N-RI
A, I R'
1
2
2
I
3
The formation of the pyrroles 2 by a radical mechanism has been suggested by us (2). This hypothesis has led us to study the effects of the dissolving metals. This new procedure has the advantage of selectivity : producing only pyrroles _2
to the exclusion of pyrroles 2
liquid ammonia gave
. The use of sodium in R
the best results (4) : Na/NH3
2 R-TH-CH=N-R' X 1
R\
/R CK-CH II R'-N=CH CH=N-R' 5
R
- R'-NH2
>
In general, this reaction yields pyrroles 2
directly (table I).
However, with certain examples, we were able to isolate the intermediate succinic di-imines (a),or
identify them in the reaction mixtures (2)
II). Their cyclisation into pyrroles
2
is induced by heat. Study of other
chemically properties of these di-imines, is in progress. 3167
(table
Ho. 36
TABLE
I
STLUTHESISOF PYRROLESz(5)
r
=====3================
==
O(-HALOGENATEDIMINESJ _-------_ :=========== _--__-_-_ R'
-_
PYRROLES 2 _-____.--=---======-_-----====------= ____-_. NMR CDC13 , TMS 1- --lield .______-__ 1 )PI°C/mmHg R' R % ____________ ______,._-________
=====5=
R
_-__-__ _________ ____
-la
=qH9
CH3
-lb
C2H5
Cl
70-71/15
31
2.05 (s)
1,5
Cl
65-68/0,7
38
TV15 (t) 2.3 (4)
I,35 (s)
Br
-Ic -Id
iC3H7
-le
=qH9
iC3H7
If -
nC4H9
Q
tCqH9
-lh
nC5Bll
-Ii
Go C5H11
(s)
44
Br
65-68/0,4
48
I,2 (d) 2,85 (9)
6.5
Br
77-80/0,7
32
7,2 (d) 2,85 (sex)
6,55
Cl
;IlO-115/0,8
31
Br
79-80/0,5
75
1lo8-log/o,35
53
92-95/0,8
34
194
(s)
1945 (s)
6,55
1.48 (s)
6,65
1.48 (s)
6.5
6,5 089 (s) ;,;5 I:{ t z= Z=mII== :======== ==== I======I==== :==z==: = :========== I========== = :=zzL= -I
TABLE
II DI-IMINES
*
2
R\ CH--CHAR / \ CH=N-tBu tBu-N=CH
114
35 7,62(d);7,66(d) J= 5 Hz 2,53(d);2,57(d) J= 5 Hz **+ J=8,5 Hz J=8,5 Hz 2,3 (d) 38 7,7 (d) *** nC5H,y" 53 7,4 (d);7,35(d) J= 5 HZ 2,4 (m) ~__-_-~_~~--__-__--_--____-______c---___~-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-------~~________ ____^__ --_----_ __----_ =qH9
* the two isomers are separated. ** the two isomers are not separated. **+ yields are given as distilled pyrroles. We obtained analogous results with sodium-naphtalene prepared according to reference (6), but this procedure is less convenient because of the presence of the resulting naphtalene. With solutions of lithium, or potassium in
3169
HO. 36
hcxamethylphosphoramide, prepared according to reference (7), a significant quantity of by-products result. In addition to the dissolving metals, ve have used some mixed metal hydrides as reducing agents. The products formed are different : instead are obtained (table III) :
of pyrroles, aziridines 2
8,Rl
P'
6:: H:9
R-CH-CH=N-R' i
8 -x:
R-CH-CH2 a (;
(LiAlH4 or ' NaBH4)
;;/“\,
_
*2
1
d
The isolation of aziridine 5
lend support to the proposal of Picot
and Lusinchi (a), and is analogous to the formation of aziridines.by the reduction of
TABLE
Whalogenated
nitriles with LiAlH4 (9).
SYNTHESIS OF AZIRIDINES 2 (10)
III
HALOGEklATED IMINES
1
AZIRIDINES 5 c
_--___- -----___--___-
____ __-_______
R X R' _--___- _-______-_____ ____ C2H5
-* iC3H7
-1 IR cm bp,OC/mmHg Yield, % -~-------- -------_-___- _--_-______--__
-CH2-CH=CH2
Cl
55
= 'gHll
Br
44
Br
60
Br
47
=qH9 =qH9
-___--____-____
---me--______
116-118/760 98/42 118-119/760 41-42/l
6
3050-3080 3040 3050 3050
80-82/760 3060 Br 48 c*3 tC4H9 ------- :============= I=== ========== I============: ===============I ------_ * the reduction by NaBH4/EtOH gives the same result.
: 650
3170
NO. 36
NOTES _________
(1) J.Y. VALNOT, Thesis of gth cycle, Rouen.May 1971. (2) P. DUHAMEL, L. DUHAMEL and J.Y. VALNOT, Tetrahedron Letters,l973, 7339. (3) L. DUHAMEL, P. DUHAMEL and J.Y. VALNOT, C.R.Acad.Sci.,l974, E, (4) The proportions of imine by reduction pyrrole&ary (5)
0,l
mole of
2
141.
accompanying di-imine 2
or
between 10 and 30 X. U,-halo-imine 1
diluted in his volume of ether was added
to 125 ml of anhydrous liquid ammonia. The solution was vigorously stirred and 0,ll g-atom of sodium was added slowly, in little pieces. The reaction mixture was neutralized by adding 5 g of NH4C1. The ammonia was evaporated and pentane was added. After filtration the pentane was evaporated (the formation of the di-imine appeared by working at a low temperature during the final steps). (6) H. NORMANT and B. ANGELO, Bull.Soc.Chim.,l960, 354. (7) T. CUVIGNY, J. NORMANT and H. NORMANT, C.R.Acad.Sci.,l964, 258, 3503. (8) A. PICOT and X. LUSINCHI, Tetrahedron Letters,l974, 679. (9) K. ICHIMURA and M. OHTA, Angew.Chem. Int.Ed., 1968, 1, 749. (10) To a vigorously stirred suspension of 0,4 g of LiA1H4 in 15 ml of anhydrous ether, was added at O°C,
0,Ol mole of
a-halo-imine 1
in 20 ml
of anhydrous ether. After one night at room temperature, the reaction mixture was hydrolysed bya saturatedsodium hydroxide solution, extracted with two 50 ml portions of ether. The ethereal layer was washed with 50 ml of water, dried and distilled.