Ozone-mediated Reaction of Anilides and Phenyl Esters with Nitrogen Dioxide: Enhanced Ortho-reactivity and Mechanistic Implications
In the presence of ozone, anilides 1 can be nitrated rapidly with nitrogen dioxide in chloroform at 0 deg C to give a high proportion of ortho-nitro derivatives (ortho:para = 1.2-4.4) in good yields.The phenyl esters 15 can be similarly nitrated on the aromatic ring without significant cleavage of the ester bond, giving a mixture of isomeric nitro derivatives in which the ortho-isomer predominantes (ortho:para = 1.1-1.5).The oridin of the enhanced ortho reactivity is discussed in terms of an electron-transfer process involving the nitrogen trioxide as initial electrophile.