Several bridgehead azides such as 1-adamantyl (Z), 3,5-dimethyl-l-adamantyl (5), 3,5,7-trimethyl-l-adamantyl (lo), l-bicyclo[3.3.l]nony1(14), and 3-homoadamantyl azide (18) were prepared in high yields from the corresponding bridgehead alcohols on treatment with sodium azide in 57% HZSOd-CHC13. Azides 2,5, and 10 were decomposed in 95% Hzs0.1 to afford the rearranged products, 4-azahomoadamantan-3-01 derivatives 3,7,8, and 12, which were also obtained from the corresponding bridgehead alcohols on treatment with sodium azide in 95% HzS04. Azides 5,10,14, and 18 were converted to the corresponding bridgehead amines 6,11,15, and 19.Organic azides are well known as a n excellent synthetic starting material, however, synthetic studies by using bridgehead azides seem to be quite limited:2 this might be due to the lack of a facile and efficient method for introduction of t h e azide group a t bridgehead positions. For example, 1-azidoadamantane (2) has been prepared previously via a direct substitution method of 1-bromoadamantane with sodium azide in dimethyl sulfoxide by us3 or via a diazo-transfer method to 1-aminoadamantane by Quast and Eckert: but the former method gives only a moderate yield of 2 and the latter method requires vigorous anhydrous conditions and longer reaction times. T h e direct substitution method was considerably improved recently by Miller5 by using zinc chloride as t h e catalyst, but t h e reaction is quite slow. This paper deals with a convenient and efficient synthesis of 2 and related bridgehead azides as well as some of their reactions.
Results and DiscussionIn view df the fact that secondary and tertiary aryl carbinols can be converted t o the corresponding azides with hydrazoic acid in trichloroacetic acid6-8 and the relatively facile formation of 1-adamantylcarbenium ion under acidic conditions? we examined the reaction of 1-adamantanol(1) with in situ generated hydrazoic acid in various acid-chloroform mixtures. As shown in Table I, azide 2 was obtained in a n excellent yield by using 57% H2SO4 as the acid and 3 h as the reaction time. However, azide 2 was not stable under t h e reaction conditions and was converted slowly to a rearranged product 3, as demonstrated by t h e data of a 15-h reaction (Table I). 2 was also converted t o 3 exclusively on treatment with 95% H2S04-CHC13 (Scheme I). The rearranged product 3 was identified as 3-hydroxy-4-azatricyclo[4.3.1.13~A]undecane (4-azahomoadamantan-3-01) by comparison with an authentic ~a m p l e .~J O 3 was also obtained directly from 1 in 94% yield by using 95% H2S04-CHC13 and sodium azide (1.25-fold excess t o 1) (The Schmidt reaction). This provides a facile and efficient synthesis of 3. 'The reaction of 1 with sodium azide in other acid-CHCl3 mixtures did not give satisfactory results, as summarized in Table I. Application of this simple azide synthetic method to 1-hydroxy-3,5-dimethyladamantane (4) afforded azide 5 in 72% yield which was converted to known amine 611 on lithium aluminum hydride reduction. Azide 5 on treatment with 9...