Converting dipyrrinones to lactim ethers to fluorescent N,N′-difluoroboryl derivatives

Abstract

A high-yield straightforward conversion of lactams to lactim ethers is shown by the conversion of (10H)-dipyrrin-1-ones to (11H)-dipyrrin-1-ol methyl and ethyl ethers in 90% yield from heating in neat trimethyl or triethyl phosphite at 160°C. Unlike the parent dipyrrinones, which form intermolecularly hydrogen-bonded dimers in CHCl3, their lactim ethers are shown to be monomeric by vapor pressure osmometry. The latter react with boron trifluoride etherate to N,N′-bridged BF2 derivatives that exhibit strong fluorescence (φF 0.6–0.8) near 535 nm. X-Ray crystal structures were obtained of the lactim ethyl ether of kryptopyrromethenone and the BF2 derivative of the lactim ethyl ether 2,3-diethyl-7,8-dimethyl-(10H)-dipyrrin-1-one.