Regioselective 1,3‐Dipolar Cycloadditions of (1Z)‐1‐(Arylmethylidene)‐5,5‐dimethyl‐3‐oxopyrazolidin‐1‐ium‐2‐ide Azomethine Imines to Acetylenic Dipolarophiles

The 5,5‐dimethylpyrazolidin‐3‐one ( 4 ), prepared from ethyl 3‐methylbut‐2‐enoate ( 3 ) and hydrazine hydrate, was treated with various substituted benzaldehydes 5a – i to give the corresponding (1Z)‐1‐(arylmethylidene)‐5,5‐dimethyl‐3‐oxopyrazolidin‐1‐ium‐2‐ide azomethine imines 6a – i . The 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition reactions of azomethine imines 6a – h with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (=dimethyl but‐2‐ynedioate; 7 ) afforded the corresponding dimethyl pyrazolo1,2‐a]pyrazoledicarboxylates 8a – h , while by cycloaddition of 6 with methyl propiolate (=methyl prop‐2‐ynoate; 9 ), regioisomeric methyl pyrazolo1,2‐a]pyrazolemonocarboxylates 10 and 11 were obtained. The regioselectivity of cycloadditions of azomethine imines 6a – i with methyl propiolate ( 9 ) was influenced by the substituents on the aryl residue. Thus, azomethine imines 6a – e derived from benzaldehydes 5a – e with a single substituent or without a substituent at the ortho‐positions in the aryl residue, led to mixtures of regioisomers 10a – e and 11a – e . Azomethine imines 6f – i derived from 2,6‐disubstituted benzaldehydes 5f – i gave single regioisomers 10f – i .