Studies in azide chemistry. Part IX [1]. Investigations involving fluorinated azidopyrimidines and 4-azido-3-chloro-2,5,6-trifluoropyridine

4-Azido-2,5,6-trifluoro- and 4,6-diazido-2,5-difluoro- pyrimidine were obtained by treating tetrafluoropyrimidine with sodium azide in acetonitrile; similar azidation of 5-chlorotrifluoropyrimidine gave 4-azido-5-chloro-2,6-difluoro- and 4,6-diazido-5-chloro-2-fluoro-pyrimidine. Each monoazide reacted with triphenylphosphine to yield the corresponding iminophosphorane (Staudinger reaction), and the trifluoro- compound gave cycloadducts when heated with phenylacetylene → 4-phenyl-1-(2,5,6-trifluoro-4-pyrimidinyl)-1,2,3- triazole] and acrylonitrile → 2-cyano-1-(2,5,6-trifluoro- 4-pyrimidinyl)aziridine]; attack on the trifluoro-azide by the sodium salt of pentafluoroaniline produced 4-azido-2,5- difluoro-6-(pentafluorophenylamino)pyrimidine and bis(4- azido-2,5-difluoro-6-pyrimidinyl)(pentafluorophenyl)amine. Attempts to intercept nitrenes during thermal decomposition of both mono-azides failed. Thermolysis of 4-azido-3-chloro- 2,5,6-trifluoropyridine in the presence of dimethyl sulphoxide, cyclohexane, or pentafluoroaniline gave products py_FNS(O)Me₂, py_FNHC₆H₁₁, and py_FNNPh_F (PY_F = 3-chlorotrifluoro-4-pyridyl), respectively] compatible with release of the corresponding nitrene.