Radical-anions in the vicarious C-amination reactions of N-substituted nitrotriazoles

The vicarious nucleophilic substitution of hydrogen in symmetrical and vicinal nitrotriazoles by 1,1,1-trimethylhydrazinium iodide in t-BuOK/DMSO was studied by ESR. In the ESR monitoring of the reactions the primary radical-anions of 4-nitro-2-phenyl-1,2,3-triazole and 1-methyl-3-nitro-1,2,4-triazole were detected and characterized. It was shown by NMR that the amination of 4-nitro-2-phenyl-1,2,3-triazole takes place exclusively in the triazole ring with the formation of 5-amino-4-nitro-2-phenyl-1,2,3-triazole. 1-Methyl-3-nitro-1,2,4-triazole, like 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazole, does not form amination products. A possible mechanism for the vicarious C-amination of nitrotriazoles and the formation of the radical-anions of the substrates is discussed. Dedicated to Academician M. G. Voronkov on his 85th birthday. __________ Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 11, pp. 1662–1670, November, 2006.