Regioselectivity in the amination of azines: Reaction of pyrazine derivatives with O-mesitylenesulfonylhydroxylamine

Treatment of 2-X-substituted pyrazines [X = H, Me, Et, Pr, i-Pr, t-Bu, MeCH(OH), H₂N, AcNH] with O-mesitylenesulfonylhydroxylamine gave the corresponding 2-X- and 3-X-(1-amino)pyrazin-1-ium mesitylenesulfonates. 2-Alkylpyrazines (X = Me, Et, Pr, i-Pr) displayed a correlation between the logarithms of the concentration ratio of 2- and 3-substituted cations and substituent steric constants. Wider series of substituted pyrazines [X = H, Me, Et, Pr, i-Pr, MeCH(OH), H₂N, AcNH] conformed to a multiparameter correlation between the logarithms of the concentration ratio of 2- and 3-substituted cations, on the one hand, and substituent constants σ_I, σ_R^o, and E _s^o, on the other. The obtained data on the regioselectivity of amination of pyrazines were interpreted in terms of DFT/PBE/3Z quantum-chemical calculations.