Stereochemistry,tautomerism, and reactions of acridinyl thiosemicarbazides in the synthesis of 1,3‐thiazolidines

Acridin‐9‐yl hydrazine upon treatment with various isothiocyanates (RNCS, R = methyl, allyl, phenyl, p‐methoxy phenyl, and p‐nitro phenyl) yielded the corresponding thiosemicarbazides with acridine substituted on the carbazide‐type side. The alkyl‐substituted compounds were present in solution as equilibria consisting of the major H‐10, H‐12 tautomer (either E or Z or both about the C₁₃‐N₁₄ bond) and the minor H‐10, SH tautomer (either E or Z or both). The major species for the aromatic‐substituted compounds was the H‐10, H‐12 E tautomer, with the evident minor species being the H‐10, H‐12 Z tautomer. The thiosemicarbazides were each quantitatively converted into the analogous semicarbazides upon treatment with mesitylnitrile oxide wherein all structures were present in solution as the H‐10 tautomers with Z conformation about the C₁₃‐N₁₄ bond. Methylation of the compounds with methyl iodide yielded S‐methylated compounds wherein the Z configuration dominated in each case over the E configuration along the N₁₂‐C₁₃ double bond. Treatment of the thiosemicarbazides with methyl bromoacetate resulted in the formation of 1′,3′‐thiazolidin‐4′‐ones wherein the Z configuration predominated in each case over the E configuration along the N₁₂? C₁₃ double bond. With bromoacetonitrile as the bifunctional electrophile, the initial 1′,3′‐thiazolidin‐4′‐imines that formed spontaneously underwent Dimroth‐type rearrangement to the regiosiomeric 1′,3′‐thiazolidin‐4′‐imines.