Synthesis and tautomeric transformations of 2-(tert-butyl)-1,2,4-benzotriazine-3(2H)-thiones

Abstract

Treatment of 2-(tert-butyl)-1,2,3,4-benzotetrazinium tetrafluoroborates with sodium thiocyanate afforded 2-(tert-butylazo)phenyl isothiocyanates 3, which exist in equilibrium with 2-(tert-butyl)-1,2,4-benzotriazine-3(2H)-thiones 3′. The equilibrium depends on the substituents R in the benzene ring: the percentage of the open isomer 3 is about 20% for R = H or Me; for R = Cl or Br, the equilibrium is completely shifted to cyclic isomer 3′. The equilibrium is slow on the time scale of the 1H and 13C NMR experiments. For compounds 3a/3′a (R = H), the spectra at 24 °C show two sets of signals, while those at 0 °C contain only signals for isomer 3′a.