| Abstract: | A series of nitroimidazoles were subjected to hydroxymethylations under a variety of conditions. Hydroxymethylation of 1-(2-hydroxyethyl), 1-(2-acetoxyethyl), and 1-(2-chloroethyl) substituted 5-nitroimidazoles with paraformaldehyde in dimethyl sulfoxide yielded the respective 2-hydroxymethyl analogs (5–7). However, attempts to hydroxymethylate 1-(2-hydroxyethyl), 1-(2-acetoxyethyl), 1-(2-cyanoethyl) substituted 4-nitroimidazoles and 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-nitroimidazole were unsuccessful. Treatment of 1-(2-acetoxyethyl)-5-nitro-2-imidazolecar-baldehyde(10) with hydroxylamine-O-sulfonic acid afforded a mixture of corresponding 2-carbonitrile (12) and 2-(N-hydroxy)carboximidamide (13). Hydrolysis of 10 with ethanolic hydrochloric acid yielded 8-ethoxy-5,6-dihydro-3-nitro-8H-imidazo[2,1-c] [1,4]oxazine (11) which, on subsequent reaction with hydroxylamine-O-sulfonic acid, afforded 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-5-nitroimidazole-2-(N-hydroxy)carboximidamide (15). Reaction of 4(5)-nitroimidazole with chloropropionitrile produced a mixture of the isomeric 1-(2-cyanoethyl) substituted 4- and 5-nitroimidazoles. Treatment of 2,4(5)-dinitroímidazole with chloropropionitrile afforded a mixture of 4(5)-chloro-5(4)-nitroimidazole and 1-(2-cyanoethyl)-4-nitro-5-chloroimidazoIe. Reaction of nitroimidazoles with acrylonitrile in the presence of Triton B yielded the corresponding 1-(2-cyanoethyl) substituted derivatives. |
