Blatter Diradicals with a Spin Coupler at the N(1) Position.

Reactions of a benzo[e][1,2,4]triazine with dilithiobenzenes lead to di-Blatter diradicals connected at the N(1) positions via a spin coupling unit, 1,4-phenylene or 1,3-phenylene. Electrochemical analysis in MeCN revealed four one-electron redox processes separated by 0.1-0.3 V in both diradicals. Variable temperature EPR measurements in polystyrene (PS) solid solutions gave the singlet-triplet energy gaps ΔES-T =2 J of -3.02(11) and -0.16(1) kcal mol-1 for 1,4-phenylene and 1,3-phenylene derivatives, respectively. The latter negative value was attributed to conformational properties of the diradical in the PS solid solution. Results suggest a simple and efficient access to a family of stable Blatter diradicals with a controllable S-T gap through a judicious choice of the arylene coupling unit. DFT calculations indicate that the triplet state is stabilized by (het)arylenes with low LUMO.

3-Substituted Blatter Radicals: Cyclization of N-Arylguanidines and N-Arylamidines to Benzo[e][1,2,4]triazines and PhLi Addition.

A series of 3-amino- and 3-alkyl-substituted 1-phenyl-1,4-dihydrobenzo[e][1,2,4]triazin-4-yls was prepared in four steps involving N-arylation, cyclization of N-arylguanidines and N-arylamidines, reduction of the resulting N-oxides to benzo[e][1,2,4]triazines, and subsequent addition of PhLi followed by aerial oxidation. The resulting seven C(3)-substituted benzo[e][1,2,4]triazin-4-yls were analyzed by spectroscopic and electrochemical methods augmented with density functional theory (DFT) methods. Electrochemical data were compared to DFT results and correlated with substituent parameters.

C(3) Functional Derivatives of the Blatter Radical.

A series of 3-substituted 1-phenyl-1,4-dihydrobenzo[e][1,2,4]triazin-4-yls 1 was prepared by addition of PhLi to 3-substituted benzo[e][1,2,4]triazines 2 followed by aerial oxidation. The scope of the C(3) substituents in the reaction was investigated, and 10 structurally diverse radicals 1 were isolated, their stability was assessed and properties were investigated with spectroscopic and electrochemical methods. Two radicals were analyzed with single-crystal XRD methods. Experimental data are compared to DFT results and correlated with Hammett substituent parameters.

3-Substituted Benzo[ e][1,2,4]triazines: Synthesis and Electronic Effects of the C(3) Substituent.

A series of 19 structurally diverse C(3)-substituted derivatives of benzo[ e][1,2,4]triazine were synthesized from 3-chloro- (1c) and 3-iodobenzo[ e][1,2,4]triazine (1d) obtained in three steps from 2-nitroaniline in 37-55% yields. Nucleophilic aromatic substitution and metal-catalyzed (Pd, Cu) reactions led to functional derivatives that include alkyl (C5H11), (het)aryl (Ph, 2-thienyl, ferrocenyl), ArC≡C, amine (NHPh and morpholine), PO(OEt)2, sulfanyl (SBu- t), alkoxide (OEt, OMe), and CN. The synthesis of C(3)-CF3 derivative 1g via the Ruppert reaction with 1d and its 1-oxide analogue 2d led to the substitution followed by formal addition of HCF3 to the C═N bond. Pd-catalyzed carbonylation reactions of 1d and 2d did not give the corresponding C(3)-carboxylic acids. Therefore, acid 1f was obtained through hydrolysis of the CN. The substituent effect on the electronic structure of the benzo[ e][1,2,4]triazine ring was investigated by spectroscopic methods (UV-vis and NMR) augmented with density functional theory calculations. Results show significant effect of the C(3) substituent on the π-π*(1) transition energy and good correlation of the 1H NMR chemical shift with the substituent constant σp. Molecular and crystal structures of six derivatives were established with the single-crystal X-ray diffraction method, and the substituent impact on the molecular geometry was investigated.

The Application of 2-Benzyl-1,4-naphthoquinones as Pronucleophiles in Aminocatalytic Synthesis of Tricyclic Derivatives.

This study demonstrates an unprecedented reactivity of 2-substituted-1,4-naphthoquinones. By applying the principle of vinylogy, they have been employed as vinylogous pronucleophiles in the organocatalytic cascade reaction for the first time. This novel catalytic activation of 1,4-naphthoquinones enables access to carboannulated naphthalen-1(4 H)-one derivatives of biological importance. The site-selectivity and stereoselectivity of a process proved possible to control by the proper choice of reaction conditions.