Nitrile oxide cycloaddition routes to 2-(isoxazolyl)-benzoates and 2-(1,2,4-oxadiazol-3-yl)benzoates

Cycloaddition of aromatic nitrile oxides to methyl o-vinylbenzoate produced methyl 2-(3-aryl-2-isoxazolin-5-yl)benzoates; the isoxazolines were converted to methyl 2-(3-arylisoxazol-5-yl)benzoates. Reaction of the nitrile oxide from o-methoxycarbonylbenzohydroximinoyl chloride ( 11 ) with phenylacetylene, styrenes, and aromatic nitriles resulted in methyl 2-(5-phenylisoxazol-3-yl)benzoate, methyl 2-(5-aryl-2-isoxazolin-3-yl)-benzoates ( 15 ), and methyl 2-(5-aryl-1,2,4-oxadiazol-3-yl)benzoates, respectively. The isoxazolines 15 were converted to the corresponding isoxazoles 16 .