Continuous flow synthesis of azobenzenes via Baeyer–Mills reaction

• Jan H. Griwatz,
• Anne Kunz and
• Hermann A. Wegner

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 781–787, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.78

• . Keywords: azobenzenes; Baeyer–Mills reaction; continuous flow; molecular switches; solar fuel; Introduction Although the red-colored azobenzenes (AB) have been known for years as dyes, their applications nowadays span from energy and information storage [1][2][3][4][5], organocatalysis [6], photobiology

• based on the condensation of nitrosobenzenes with anilines (Scheme 1). This so-called Baeyer–Mills reaction, which was first published by Baeyer in 1874 and further investigated by Mills, proceeds best for electron-rich anilines with electron-poor nitrosobenzenes. The reactivity can be rationalized by

• report a continuous flow synthesis of non-symmetric AB compounds via the Baeyer–Mills reaction, which allows to obtain large quantities of products from different substrates in a fast and efficient manner. Results and Discussion For optimization of the Baeyer–Mills coupling in continuous flow the

Substituted nitrogen-bridged diazocines

• Pascal Lentes,
• Jeremy Rudtke,
• Thomas Griebenow and
• Rainer Herges

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2021, 17, 1503–1508, doi:10.3762/bjoc.17.107

• compounds with iron(III) to perform an intramolecular Baeyer–Mills reaction [15][21]. We found that a complete reduction of the nitro group to aniline 7 and oxidation with mCPBA is increasing the yield of the intramolecular cyclization from 39% to 62% (over two steps) for the unsubstituted diazocine 8c as

Synthesis of 4-substituted azopyridine-functionalized Ni(II)-porphyrins as molecular spin switches

• Jannis Ludwig,
• Tobias Moje,
• Fynn Röhricht and
• Rainer Herges

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 2589–2597, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.210

• Oxone™ (Wegner et al. [19][20][21], Scheme 1). Isolation of 3 was achieved, however, a one pot approach including a subsequent Baeyer–Mills reaction to yield 10 is preferred. 1-Iodo-3-nitrosobenzene (6) cannot be prepared by oxidation of the corresponding aniline because hypervalent iodine is formed [22

• ][23][24][25][26]. Hence, 3-iodonitrobenzene (4) was reduced to obtain hydroxylamine 5, which was oxidized by iron(III) chloride to yield a mixture of 6 and starting material 4 (Scheme 1), which was directly used as a crude product in the subsequent alkaline Baeyer–Mills reaction. It is known that the

Starazo triple switches – synthesis of unsymmetrical 1,3,5-tris(arylazo)benzenes

• Andreas H. Heindl and
• Hermann A. Wegner

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 22–31, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.4

• using an aqueous ammonium sulfide solution to furnish aniline 6 in 65% yield [20]. After oxidation of 6 to its nitroso analogue 7 [21], a Baeyer–Mills reaction with aniline yielded the targeted azobenzene building block 8 in 87% yield (i.e., 53% yield over four steps). After the successful synthesis of

Synthesis of functionalized diazocines for application as building blocks in photo- and mechanoresponsive materials

• Widukind Moormann,
• Daniel Langbehn and
• Rainer Herges

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 727–732, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.68

• [22][23], or the Baeyer–Mills reaction via Zn/NH4Cl [25]. We chose the Ba(OH)2/Zn method because it provided superior yields even at larger scales. The syntheses of the functionalized diazocines 4–7 started with (4-methyl-3-nitrophenyl)methanol (8a) and (4-methyl-3-nitrophenyl)ethanol (8b). In a first

Synthesis of mono-functionalized S-diazocines via intramolecular Baeyer–Mills reactions

• Miriam Schehr,
• Daniel Hugenbusch,
• Tobias Moje,
• Christian Näther and
• Rainer Herges

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2018, 14, 2799–2804, doi:10.3762/bjoc.14.257

• receptor. Hence, it should be possible to administer the stabile inactive compound and switch it on at the site of illness with visible light. To date only a limited number of diazocine derivatives have been published of which most are symmetrically functionalized. Using the Baeyer–Mills reaction for the

• synthesis of diazocines opens a novel and convenient access to unsymmetrically substituted diazocines. Keywords: Baeyer–Mills reaction; bridged azobenzene; diazocine; reductive azo condensation; unsymmetrically functionalized S-diazocines; Introduction Photopharmacology is a promising, rapidly evolving

• -like synthesis of mono-functionalized S-diazocines in reproducible yields via intramolecular Baeyer–Mills reaction. Results and Discussion The Baeyer–Mills reaction is a quite common method, particularly to synthesize unsymmetrically substituted azobenzenes, albeit not widely used to prepare diazocine