On the SelectiveO-Alkylation of Ambident Nucleophiles – The Synthesis of Thiohydroxamic AcidO-Esters by Phase-Transfer Reactions

Abstract

O-Alkylation of cyclic thiohydroxamic acids 1 and 3–5 has been studied with a view to developing an efficient method for the synthesis of N-(alkoxy)pyridine-2(1H)-thiones and N-(alkoxy)thiazole-2(3H)-thiones. Four issues have been addressed and the following conclusions can be drawn: (i) Thiones 1 and 5 exist as O–H acids in the solid state. (ii) According to NMR investigations (1H, 13C), the thione structures should be largely retained in CDCl3, [D6]DMSO, and CD3OD solutions of acids 1, 3–5, as is also the case for pyridinethione salts 2a–h. (iii) O-Alkylation of pyridinethione salts occurs in competition with S-alkylation. Selective O-alkylation is however possible, if thiohydroxamate salts with large countercations, such as M = NBu4, are treated with hard alkylating reagents in polar aprotic media. (iv) As tetrabutylammonium thiohydroxamates, such as 2f, are highly useful in the synthesis of cyclic thiohydroxamic acid O-esters, we have developed an efficient protocol for the preparation of N-(alkoxy)pyridine-2(1H)-thiones directly from acid 1 using phase-transfer conditions (alkyl halide or sulfonic acid ester, CH3CN, K2CO3, Bu4NHSO4). This method has proved particularly successful for the synthesis of N-(alkoxy)thiazole-2(3H)-thiones 11, 20–28, which were obtained in yields of up to 87%.