4-Substituted-3,4-dihydro-3-methyl-2H-1,3-benzoxazin-2-ones. III (2,3). Solvolytic-reductive transformation of 4-(2-keto)-benzoxazin-2-ones into oxazin-2-ones

A series of 4-(2-keto-substituted)-3,4-dihydro-3-methyl-2H-1,3-benzoxazin-2-ones 1 (Table I) was synthesized by condensation of 3-alkyl-3,4-dihydro-4-hydroxy-2H-1,3-benzoxazin-2-ones 4 with ketones 5 having active alpha hydrogens. In the presence of alcoholic potassium borohydride, compounds 1 underwent reductive transacylation to give 1,3-oxazin-2-one derivatives 3 (Table III, a,b,c). When the other side of the ketone possessed substituents other than hydrogen, there were always also normal reduction products, i.e., secondary alcohols 2 (Table II) in addition to 3.