Fatat B El Dhaibi1, Ali Youssef1, James C Fettinger2, Mark J Kurth2, Makhluf J Haddadin1. 1. Department of Chemistry, American University of Beirut, Riad El Solh, 1107 2020Beirut, Lebanon. 2. Department of Chemistry, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, California95616, United States.
Abstract
Herein, we report a new approach to synthesize a series of 1,2,4-[e]-benzotriazine and cinnoline derivatives from 3-substituted isoindolin-1-one. All the reported products are obtained through an economical two-step synthetic procedure resulting in fair-to-high yields. Cinnolines (a) and 1,2,4-[e]-benzotriazines (b) result from an intramolecular cyclization of the corresponding 3-substituted isoindolin-1-ones, which, in turn, are prepared by an addition reaction from 2-cyanobenzaldehyde and 2-(2-nitrophenyl) acetonitrile (a) or 2-nitroaniline derivatives (b). A proposed mechanism for this transformation is presented.
Herein, we report a new approach to synthesize a series of 1,2,4-[e]-benzotriazine and cinnoline derivatives from 3-substituted isoindolin-1-one. All the reported products are obtained through an economical two-step synthetic procedure resulting in fair-to-high yields. Cinnolines (a) and 1,2,4-[e]-benzotriazines (b) result from an intramolecular cyclization of the corresponding 3-substituted isoindolin-1-ones, which, in turn, are prepared by an addition reaction from 2-cyanobenzaldehyde and 2-(2-nitrophenyl) acetonitrile (a) or 2-nitroaniline derivatives (b). A proposed mechanism for this transformation is presented.
Synthetic heterocyclic chemistry has made
notable progress in the
last few decades.[1−4] Isoindolinones, cinnolines, and 1,2,4-benzotriazines represent important
classes of nitrogen-containing compounds.[5] In fact, it is reported that seven of the top ten selling drugs
in the world are nitrogen-containing heterocycles.[6] Consequently, these heterocyclic compounds have received
considerable attention in organic chemistry ranging from their methods
of preparation to studies of their physical, chemical, and biological
properties.[1,2] The growing interest in these N-containing
compounds is the result of their wide ranging biological activities
such as antimalarial,[7,8] antibacterial,[9,10] antiviral,
antifungal,[11] anthelmintic, and anticancer
properties for application in pharmaceutical fields (Figure ).[12−14]
Figure 1
Cinnoline, 1,2,4-[e]-benzotriazine and isoindolinone
drugs.
Cinnoline, 1,2,4-[e]-benzotriazine and isoindolinone
drugs.In addition, some analogues of these heterocycles
have demonstrated
electro-optical activities, and others have been used as dyes (Figure ).[15]
Figure 2
CinNapht dye.
CinNapht dye.Taking into consideration all these previous applications,
1,2,4-[e]-benzotriazine and cinnoline heterocycles
have been synthesized
through various multistep reactions over the past several years.[1] Given their importance, we have developed a simple
synthetic method based on reactions and mechanisms reported by Sato
et al. (Scheme )[16] and Angelin et al. (Scheme ),[17,18] where 2-cyanobenzaldehyde (1), 2-(2-nitrophenyl) acetonitrile (2; see Scheme ), or 2-nitroaniline
substituents (7a–h; see Scheme ) are employed as starting materials.
Scheme 1
Sato et al.’s Synthesis of 3-N Substituted Isoindolin-1-ones
Scheme 2
Angelin et al.’s Mechanism-Based Synthesis
of 3-Nitrosubstituted
Isoindolinones
Scheme 3
Mechanism for the Synthesis of 2-(2-Nitrophenyl)-2-(3-oxoisoindolin-1-yl)acetonitrile
(6)
Scheme 4
Sato Mechanism Applied to the Synthesis of 3-Aminoisoindolin-1-ones 10a–h
We succeeded in synthesizing a series of substituted
isoindolin-1-ones
as well as their corresponding novel cinnolines and 1,2,4-[e]-benzotriazines. In this paper, we present the synthesis
of the latter compounds through a two-step reaction, which is economical
and produces good yield.
Results and Discussion
The synthesis of novel 2-(2-nitrophenyl)-2-(3-oxoisoindolin-1-yl)acetonitrile (6) was accomplished through a nucleophilic addition reaction (1 + 3 → 4), followed by a cyclization (4 →
5) and subsequent rearrangement (5 → 6) process between 2-cyanobenzaldehyde (1) and 2-(2-nitrophenyl)
acetonitrile (2). The mechanism for this one-pot process
is illustrated in Scheme .1H NMR, 13C NMR, and 13C NMR DEPT
135 spectra were consistent with the structure of 6.
Similar to the work reported by Angelin et al., triethylamine was
proved most desirable for the reaction.[18] It is important to abstract the proton at the α-position to
the nitro group or between the two withdrawing groups as described
in the literature.[17,18] In our case, Et3N
abstracted α-H to the nitrile group and generated a nucleophilic
specie in the medium. In fact, replacing Et3N with 5% KOH
in methanol led to several undesired side products. In addition, the
amount of solvent used, methanol in this reaction, was an important
factor affecting the product yield; it should be minimized in order
to precipitate isoindolin-1-one 6 as it forms. Formation
of the isoinolin-1-one carbonyl group was shown by a peak at 1703
cm–1 in the IR spectra, compared to that of the
2-cyanobenzaldehyde carbonyl group at 1693 cm–1.
This isoindolin-1-one (6) was isolated as a pure white
powder, which was sensitive to light turning the material dark brown.
This observation might be explained by the reaction of the nitro group
oxygen with the benzylic proton of the cyano group. This reaction
also applies to 2-nitrobenzaldehyde yielding 2-nitrosobenzoic acid.[19]The synthesis of 3-aminoisoindolin-1-one
derivatives 10a–h (Scheme ) has been
achieved following the same procedure as described for product 6: specifically, a nucleophilic addition reaction between
the aldehyde function of the 2-cyanobenzaldehyde (1) and
the amine function of the 2-nitroaniline derivatives (7a–h), followed by cyclization and rearrangement.In keeping with
the mechanism reported by the Sato et al. group
in 1984,[16] the aniline nitrogen lone pair
attacks the carbonyl, and the resulting alkoxide anion then attacks
the cyano group to form the cyclic intermediate products 9a–h. A simple subsequent rearrangement occurs to give the lactam isoindolin-1-ones 10a–h.In contrast to the reaction described
in Scheme , nitrogen
base; triethylamine Et3N in our case blocked the reaction
and stopped the progress of the
isoindolinone formation. Instead, a few drops of the strong base methanolic
KOH (5%) initiated the formation of the products 10a–h. Starting from a 1:1.2 mmol equivalent of nitroaniline derivatives,
0.4 mL of 2-cyanobenzaldehyde was sufficient for the isolation of
the product. Yet, increasing the volume of the base led to some undesired
side reactions that decreased the yield of our isoindolinone intermediates.
In addition, the solvent nature was found to have an effect on product
formation: when using methanol, ethyl acetate, chloroform, and even
dimethylformamide, the yields were very low. Fortunately, adding a
small amount of dichloromethane (1 mL) resulted in maximum isolation
of the desired 3-substituted isoindolin-1-ones 10a–h as yellow pastes, which were subsequently filtrated and washed with
cold methanol. The isolated % yield of product 10c using
various solvents are shown in Table .
Table 1
Isolated % Yields of 10c in Different Solvents
solvent
DCM
EtOAc
MeOH
CHCl3
DMF
% yield of 10c
76
39
36
42
65
Finally, upon heating in 5% methanolic KOH, compound 6 gave the corresponding cinnolines 14 and 15, and compounds 10a–h produced the 1,2,4-[e]-benzotriazines 16a–h and 17a–h. The postulated mechanisms for the formation of 14–17 are described in Schemes and 6. All structures were supported
by full spectral data characterization (1H NMR, 13C NMR, 13C NMR DEPT 135, IR, and HR-MS) as well as melting
points.
Scheme 5
Synthesis of Cinnolines 14 and 15 through
the Formation of Isoindolinone 6
Scheme 6
Synthesis of 1,2,4-[e]-Benzotriazines 16a–h and 17a–h from 3-Substituted
Isoindolinones 10a–h
In addition, the structure of methyl 2-(7-methoxybenzo[e][1,2,4]
triazin-3-yl)benzoate (16d) was also established by X-ray
crystallography (Figure ).
Figure 3
X-ray crystallography of product 16d.
X-ray crystallography of product 16d.While esters (14 and 16a–h) were
the anticipated products from intramolecular cyclization of the isoindolin-1-ones,
thin layer chromatography showed the presence of two spots and, indeed,
two products were obtained—the esters (14 and 16a–h) as well as the much more polar hydrolyzed acids (15 and 17a–h). In fact, heating the reaction
for 30 min caused the ester product to rapidly and completely hydrolyze
the carboxylate salt. This is a direct consequence of the increased
reaction temperature (∼65 °C) and 1 h heating at 60–65
°C. The formation of 15 from 14 is
evident from the isolated yields of 14 and 15 as presented in Table .
Table 2
Isolated % Yields of the Cinnoline
Ester 14 and Cinnoline Acid 15 Products
Upon Heating
heating time
% yield of 14
% yield of 15
combined
% yield of 14 and 15
15 min
82
15
97
30 min
60
34
94
1 h
17
76
93
Additionally, in the course of this investigation,
a serendipitous
reaction was found to occur with isoindolinone 10g. It
formed benzotriazines 16g and 17g by electrophilic
aromatic substitution of the chloro group para to the nitro moiety.
Indeed, the 1H and 13C NMR data were incompatible
with the expected dichloro structures. Theoretically, the dichloro
products should show three methoxy protons for the ester at ∼4
ppm in 1H NMR as well as a OCH3 carbon at ∼50
ppm in the 13C NMR. Experimentally, six methoxy protons
appeared as two singlets at 4.13 and 4.03 ppm and two OCH3 carbons at 57.25 and 57.23 ppm, in addition to the other expected
peaks. This result can be explained by chloride displacement by methoxide
upon heating of 10g, where CH3O– displaces the chlorine at position 6, para to the nitro group (Scheme ).
Scheme 7
Synthesis of Methyl
2-(7-Chloro-6-methoxybenzo[e][1,2,4]triazin-3-yl)benzoate 16g and 2-(7-Chloro-6-methoxybenzo[e][1,2,4]triazin-3-yl)benzoic
Acid 17g
Conclusions
A total of 27 compounds were successfully
synthesized, identified,
and characterized by melting points, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, 13C NMR DEPT 135, FT-IR, and HR-MS spectroscopy.
The synthesis was accomplished through new, concise, efficient, and
low-cost reactions, resulting in fair-to-high yields of the products.
Experimental Section
Melting points were determined
using a DigiMelt digital melting
point apparatus and were uncorrected. 1H MNR, 13C NMR, and Dept 135 spectra were determined in CDCl3 or
DMSO-d6 using a Bruker AM 500 NMR spectrometer.
Chemical shifts were recorded in ppm (δ). Infrared spectra were
collected using a Thermo Scientific iD3 ATR for Nicolet iS5 FT-IR
spectrometer in cm–1. High-resolution mass spectra
(HR-MS) were recorded using a SCIEX X500R HPLC/QTOF mass spectrometer.
Thin layer chromatography (TLC) was performed on TLC silica gel 60
F254. Required starting materials were commercially available.
o-Cyanobenzaldehyde (0.32 g;
2.50 mmol) and 2-(2-nitrophenyl)acetonitrile (0.34 g; 2.08 mmol) were
dissolved in 3 mL of MeOH. A volume of 0.5 mL of Et3N was
added while stirring the mixture at room temperature. After 2 min,
a white precipitate appeared. The product was collected by suction
filtration and was washed with cold ethanol (0.48 g; 79%). Melting
point: 203 °C; 1H NMR (500 MHz, DMSO-d6): δ 8.25 (d, J = 8.0, 1.0 Hz,
1H), 7.89 (dd, J = 7.5, 1.5 Hz, 1H), 7.85 (d, J = 7.5 Hz, 1H), 7.72–7.75 (m, 3H), 7.60–7.67
(m, 2H), 7.48 (s, 1H), 5.51 (d, J = 3 Hz, 1H), 5.22
(d, J = 2.5 Hz, 1H); 13C NMR (126 MHz,
DMSO-d6): δ 171.11, 147.38, 143.27,
135.03, 133.07, 132.09, 131.42, 130.58, 129.94, 127.34, 126.39, 124.33,
122.89, 116.04, 58.38, 40.23 ppm; DEPT 135 (126 MHz, DMSO-d6): δ 135.03, 133.07, 131.42, 130.58,
129.94, 126.39, 124.33, 122.89, 58.38, 40.24; FTIR (cm–1): 2361 (m), 2343 (w), 1703 (s), 1615 (w), 1532 (s), 1470 (m), 1348
(s), 1306 (w), 1138 (m), 858 (m), 758 (m), 721 (s), 703 (s); m/z: calcd for C16H11N3O3 [M + H]+, 294.08732; found,
294.0874, [M + Na]+, calcd 316.06926; found, 316.0693,
[M + K]+, calcd 332.0432; found, 332.0418.
General Procedure A
Derivatives of 3-((nitrophenyl)amino)isoindolin-1-one
were prepared from 2-cyanobenzaldehyde (0.32 g; 2.50 mmol) and 2-nitroaniline
derivatives (1 mmol) dissolved in 1 mL of DCM. The mixture was warmed
to ensure total dissolution of all the starting materials for 1 min.
The reaction mixture was then cooled to room temperature, and 0.4
mL of 5% KOH in MeOH was added. The solution color turned red, and
heat was released just before a yellow paste formed. The product was
collected by suction filtration and washed with water and cold methanol.
The isoindolin-1-one derivative
(0.1 g; 0.3 mmol) was dissolved in 10 mL of 5% KOH in MeOH, and the
mixture was heated for 30 min. The color of the solution turned brown,
the reaction was quenched with water, and extraction with ethyl acetate
was performed. The organic layer was then dried over anhydrous MgSO4, and the solvent was evaporated under reduced pressure. The
resulting product was purified and identified as the cinnoline or
benzotriazine ester.
General Procedure C
The isoindolin-1-one derivative
(0.1 g; 0.3 mmol) was dissolved in 10 mL of 5% KOH in MeOH, and the
mixture was heated for 30 min. The color of the solution turned brown,
the reaction was quenched with water, and extraction with ethyl acetate
was performed. The aqueous layer was then acidified with concentrated
HCl. The crude precipitate was filtrated using a Buchner funnel. The
product was recrystallized in 2 mL of methanol, collected by vacuum
filtration, and washed with cold methanol and identified as the cinnoline
or benzotriazine acid.
Methyl 2-(4-Cyanocinnolin-3-yl)benzoate (14)
This product was synthesized according to general procedure B.
It was purified by recrystallization in 2 mL of ethanol and collected
by filtration as yellow crystals (0.62 mg; 60%). Melting point: 144
°C; 1H NMR (500 MHz, CDCl3): δ 8.72–8.74
(m, 1H), 8.21–8.23 (m, 2H), 8.00–8.02 (m, 2H), 7.77
(dt, J = 7.5, 1.0 Hz, 1H), 7.66–7.71 (m, 2H),
3.70 (s, 3H); 13C NMR (126 MHz, CDCl3): δ
166.67, 156.64, 148.74, 136.69, 134.13, 132.47, 131.77, 131.45, 131.09,
130.47, 130.30, 124.23, 123.87, 114.04, 106.84, 52.40 ppm; DEPT 135
(126 MHz, CDCl3): δ 134.13, 132.47, 131.77, 131.45,
131.09, 130.96, 130.30, 124.23, 52.41; FTIR (cm–1): 1716 (s), 1564 (w), 1434 (w), 1294 (w), 1272 (s), 1128 (m), 1084
(m), 1064 (w), 1048 (w), 1030 (m), 772 (s), 771 (m); m/z: calcd for C17H11N3O2 [M + H]+, 290.0924; found, 290.0921,
[M + Na]+, calcd 312.07435; found, 312.0741, [M + K]+, calcd 328.04828; found, 328.0484.
Authors: Alexandria P Taylor; Ralph P Robinson; Yvette M Fobian; David C Blakemore; Lyn H Jones; Olugbeminiyi Fadeyi Journal: Org Biomol Chem Date: 2016-07-12 Impact factor: 3.876
Authors: Michael P Hay; Kevin O Hicks; Frederik B Pruijn; Karin Pchalek; Bronwyn G Siim; William R Wilson; William A Denny Journal: J Med Chem Date: 2007-11-15 Impact factor: 7.446