Cyclization reactions of 3,4-diazaheptatrienyl metal compounds. Pyridines from an anionic analogue of the Fischer indole synthesis: experiment and theory.

Unsymmetrical N,N'-bisalkylidene hydrazines 7a,b, 10a-c and 13, which are accessible in good to excellent yields from hydrazones 6, 9, and 12 and commercially available α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds, are converted into 3,4-diazaheptatrienyl anions 14a,b, 16a-c, and 18 by treatment with KO-t-Bu as base. These anionic species form pyridines 15a,b, 5,6-dihydrobenzo[h]quinolones 17a-c, and bipyridine 19 in moderate yields. We interpret thermodynamics and kinetics of these reactions by quantum chemical calculations and discuss this multistep anionic rearrangement, based on an electrocyclic ring formation with a Möbius aromatic transition structure 22, the N-N bond fission (25), and the 6-exo-trig cyclization (27) as key steps, considering the results of NICS and NBO-charge calculations. This novel anionic reaction sequence bears an interesting analogy to the mechanism of the (cationic) Fischer indole synthesis. Precursor 10c and product 16c could be characterized by X-ray diffraction.