Azido-1,2,3-triphenylpropenes of Varying Stabilities: A Corrigendum of Structure Assignment

Abstract

A reinvestigation of the reaction between 2,3-diphenyl-2H-azirine (1) and phenyldiazomethane (2) has shown that a literature report has to be corrected since no vinyl azide 4 but rather the allylic compound 3-azido-1,2,3-triphenyl-1-propene (3) is produced. This stable substance, which can also be prepared by substitution reactions of allylic bromide (E)-10 or from alcohol (E)-11, may be separated into its geometrical isomers (E)-3 and (Z)-3, although these equilibrate through rapid [3,3] sigmatropic migration of the azido group. Attempts to synthesize 4 by dehydration of azido alcohols 7 using methanesulfonyl chloride and sulfur dioxide or by elimination of hydrogen chloride from azides 15 led only to 3 and 2-benzyl-2,3-diphenyl-2H-azirine (14). This heterocycle, which can also be prepared by Neber rearrangement, has been found to be the thermal and photochemical decomposition product of the unstable vinyl azides 4. However, dehydrations of 7 using thionyl chloride at low temperature have led to the first isolation of 1-azido-1,2,3-triphenyl-1-propenes (4). Starting with 3 and various other allylic azides, rearrangement reactions involving sigmatropic shift of the azido group or photochemical cis-trans isomerization have been investigated, as have base-catalyzed (prototropic) rearrangements to give vinyl azides.