Synthesis,Reactions, and Structure of 5-Cyano-4-ethoxy-1-ethoxycarbonyl-2-methylazuleno[1,8-b,c]pyran

Bicyclic azulene compounds, ethyl 4-(cyanoethoxycarbonylmethyl)-2-methylazulene-1-carboxylate (2) and ethyl 4-(cyanoethoxycarbonylmethyl)azulene-1-carboxylate (3) were prepared from ethyl 4-chloro-2-methylazulene-1-carboxylate (7) and ethyl 4-ethoxyazulene-1-carboxylate (8), respectively. Oxidation of 2 with DDQ gave the title compound, 5-cyano-4-ethoxy-1-ethoxycarbonyl-2-methylazuleno1,8-b,c]pyran (1) and a minor compound, ethyl 4-cyanomethyl-2-methylazulene-1-carboxylate (9). Oxidation of 3 by DDQ produced only ethyl 4-cyanomethylazulene-1-carboxylate (10), Reaction of 1 with 100% H₃PO₄ at room temperature and 100 °C gave 5-cyano-4-ethoxy-2-methylazuleno1,8-b,c]pyran (11) and 2-methyl-4,5-dihydrozuleno1,8-b,c]pyran-4-one (12), respectively. All the new compounds were characterized by IR, UV-vis, NMR and Mass spectra, and the structure of 1 was determined by X-ray crystallography. Crystal data for 1; space group P2₁/n, a = 7.391(1), b = 9.660(5), c = 22.859(1) Å, B = 97.01(1)°, V = 1620.0(3) ų, Z = 4, with final residuals R = 0.047 and Rw = 0.055.