Radical bromination of 4,5-dimethylthiazole (1) was carried out using different stoichiometries of N-bromosuccinimide in the presence of 2,2Ј-azobisisobutyronitrile. Mono-, tri-and tetrabromo compounds 2, 5, and 6 were obtained in good yields with regioselectivity while the dibromo derivatives 3 and 4 were formed without any selectivity. Substitution at the Polybrominated derivatives of 1,2-dimethylarenes or their heterocyclic analogues are useful precursors for the pro-. The DielsAlder trapping of o-QDMs with dienophiles is an efficient and powerful method for the building of polycyclic aromatic compounds. In order to obtain 5-or 6-functionalized benzothiazoles of biological interest, we planned to prepare selectively the dibromo-, tribromo-or tetrabromomethyl derivatives of 4,5-dimethylthiazole which would further lead to the desired substituted benzothiazole via the corresponding o-QDM (Scheme 1).
Scheme 1
Results and DiscussionThe free-radical chlorination of 4-methylthiazole with Nchlorosuccinimide in the presence of benzoyl peroxide or UV radiation has been shown to afford 5-chloro-4-methylthiazole in 95% yield. When chlorination was continued, a decrease of the latter was observed while 5-chloro-4-(chloromethyl)thiazole and 2,5-dichloro-4-(chloromethyl)thiazole were formed in 72 and 24% yield, respectively [4] . The order of reactivity observed was therefore C-5 > 4-Me > C-2.We have performed selective brominations of 4,5-dimethylthiazole (1) with N-bromosuccinimide (NBS). When the commercially available compound 1 was treated with different stoichiometries of NBS in the presence of 2,2Ј-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) under reflux with carbon tetrachloride (method A), the brominated derivatives 2Ϫ6 were selectively obtained (Scheme 2 and Table 1). In contrast, the use of NBS in the presence of silica gel (method B)