| Abstract: | The course of the thermal decomposition of various 2-amino-3-substituted aziridino-1,4-naphthoquinones (Ia-g) was investigated. In all the cases, the thermal decomposition gave variable amounts of 2,3-diamino-1,4-naphthoquinone (II) and of substituted 1,2,3,4,5,10-hexahydrobenzog]quinoxaline-5,10-diones (IIIa-g) with complete stereospecificity. The decomposition of the aziridines Ib,f also gave significative amounts of 2-amino-3-allylamino-1,4-naphthoquinones (IVb,f). In the case of 2-amino-3-(2′-phenyl-3′-ethylaziridino)-1,4-naphthoquinone (Ig), the formation of trans-1-phenyl-1-butene (V), 2-(1-phenylpropyl)-1H-naphtho-imidazole-4,9-dione (VI), 2-phenyl-3-ethyl-3,4,5,10-tetrahydrobenzog]quinoxaline-5,10-dione (VII), 2-phenyl-3-ethyl-5,10-dihydrobenzog]quinoxaline-5,10-dione (VIII), and a mixture of cis- and trans-4H-2,3,5,6-tetra-hydro-2-phenyl-3-ethyl-5-iminonaphtho1,2-b]oxazin-6-one (IX) also occurred. Hypotheses concerning the mechanism and the steric course of this reaction are given. The reaction is a general method for the stereospecific synthesis of 2,3-disubstituted 1,2,3,4,5,10-hexahydrobenzog]quinoxalines. |
