The Mechanism of the Transition Metal-catalyzed Reaction of 1,1′-Carbonyldipyrazoles with Aldehydes and Ketones

Abstract

The metal-catalyzed reaction of 1,1′-carbonyldipyrazoles with aldehydes or ketones to give 1,1′-alkylidenedipyrazoles and carbon dioxide, the latter being derived from the amide carbonyl group as shown by labeling experiments, is sensitive to electronic and to steric substituent effects. Under comparable reaction conditions, 1,1′-carbonyldiimidazole, N-acetylpyrazole, and 1-pyrazole-N,N-diethylcarbonamide do not react with acetone while pyrazole-1-carbo(N′-phenylhydrazide) yields an anilino isocyanate dimer. These results are interpreted in terms of a mechanism that involves coordination of the metal ion at the 2,2′-nitrogen atoms of the pyrazole rings and heterolytic cleavage of an amide bond, followed by formation of a carbamate intermediate, decarboxylation, and metal ion exchange. Unsymmetrically substituted 1,1′-carbonyldipyrazoles were found to equilibrate thermally with their respective symmetrical analogs by an intermolecular exchange mechanism.