An experimental and computational assessment of acid-catalyzed azide-nitrile cycloadditions

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/jo3022742

The mechanism of the azidea-nitrile cycloaddition mediated by different Bronsted and Lewis acids has been addressed through DFT calculations. In all cases activation of the nitrile substrate by the Bronsted or Lewis acid catalyst was found to be responsib

Full text of DOI:10.1021/jo3022742

Article
pubs.acs.org/joc
An Experimental and Computational Assessment of Acid-Catalyzed
Azide-Nitrile Cycloadditions
David Cantillo, Bernhard Gutmann, and C. Oliver Kappe*
Christian Doppler Laboratory for Microwave Chemistry (CDLMC) and Institute of Chemistry, Karl-Franzens-University Graz,
Heinrichstrasse 28, A-8010 Graz, Austria
S
* Supporting Information
ABSTRACT: The mechanism of the azide−nitrile cycloaddition
mediated by different Brønsted and Lewis acids has been addressed
through DFT calculations. In all cases activation of the nitrile substrate
by the Brønsted or Lewis acid catalyst was found to be responsible for
the rate enhancement. According to DFT calculations the cycloaddition
proceeds in a stepwise fashion involving the initial formation of an
open-chain imidoyl azide intermediate. Kinetic experiments performed
using N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone as solvent and sodium azide as azide
source demonstrate that all evaluated Brønsted acids have the same
efficiency toward cycloaddition with benzonitrile, suggesting that hydrazoic acid is the actual dominant catalytic species in these
tetrazole syntheses. Lewis acids such as Zn or Al salts perform in a similar manner, activating the nitrile moiety and leading to an
open-chain intermediate that subsequently cyclizes to produce the tetrazole nucleus. The most efficient catalyst evaluated was 5-
azido-1-methyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-pyrrolium azide, which can readily be generated in situ from aluminum chloride, sodium azide in
N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone. The efficiency of this catalyst has been examined by preparation of a series of 5-substituted-1H-
tetrazoles. The desired tetrazole structures were obtained in high yields within 3−10 min employing controlled microwave
heating.
hydrazoic acid and cyanamide.3 The parent heterocycle was
synthesized by Dimroth and Fester in 1910 by the addition of
INTRODUCTION
■
Tetrazole-containing molecules have numerous applications in
hydrazoic acid (HN3) to hydrocyanic acid.4 The authors
a wide variety of fields, including organic synthesis,
suggested that an imidoyl azide is formed as an intermediate,
coordination chemistry, material science, and medicinal
which then rapidly cyclizes to form the tetrazole. The
chemistry.1,2 Most notably, 5-substituted tetrazoles are
preparation of 5-alkyl- and 5-aryl-tetrazoles by the addition of
frequently used as surrogates for carboxylic acids in
hydrazoic acid to alkyl and aryl nitriles was finally accomplished
pharmaceutically active agents as they offer similar physico-
in 1950 by Mihina and Herbst.5 Today, hydrazoic acid is hardly
chemical properties, but higher lipophilicities and better
used as a reagent in organic synthesis due to its volatility (the
metabolic resistance.2 Not surprisingly, therefore, a large
boiling point is 37 °C), its high toxicity (comparable to that of
number of synthetic protocols for the synthesis of tetrazole
HCN), and its dangerously explosive character. It is therefore
derivatives were reported in the past decades, and several recent
generally preferred to use inorganic azide salts in combination
review articles survey their manifold applications in medicinal
with a suitable acid as catalyst.6 In the majority of cases sodium
chemistry and methods of preparation.2
Different strategies for the synthesis of 5-substituted
azide is used as the azide source, and a broad variety of acidic
catalysts, ranging from soluble Brønsted7,8 or Lewis acids9−11 to
various heterogeneous12 and nanocrystalline13 catalysts, have
tetrazoles do exist, but by far the most common approach is
the Huisgen addition of the azide anion to the nitrile in the
been employed to accelerate the azide−nitrile addition.
As mentioned above, the early pioneers of tetrazole synthesis
presence of an acid catalyst (Scheme 1).1,2 The addition of
hydrazoic acid to the cyanide group was first observed in 1901
contemplated a stepwise mechanism for the tetrazole
by Hantzsch and Vagt, who prepared 5-aminotetrazole from
formation, where an imidoyl azide is initially formed and
subsequently cyclizes to the tetrazole moiety.4,5 In recent years,
Scheme 1. Acid-Catalyzed Synthesis of 5-Substituted-1H-
tetrazoles from Nitriles and Azide Salts
however, it became clear that reactions of a dipolarophile with a
1,3-dipolar structure are generally concerted [2s + 4s]
cycloadditions, similar to Diels−Alder reactions. Mechanistic
studies with a B3LYP density functional theory method
Received: October 15, 2012
© XXXX American Chemical Society
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performed in the groups of Sharpless and Noodleman in 2002
and 200314,15 and related investigations performed in our group
in 201116 indicated that the uncatalyzed reaction of an azide
with a nitrile is indeed a concerted asynchronous 1,3-dipolar
cycloaddition. In the presence of a proton, however, the
reaction appears to proceed via a protonated imidoyl azide as
an intermediate (INT1→3, Scheme 1). In this case, the azide ion
reveals its nature as a powerful nucleophile and attacks the
electron-poor carbon atom of the activated nitrile before the
nitrogen−nitrogen bond starts to form.
Scheme 2. Formation of 5-Substituted-tetrazoles or the
Tetrazolate Anion by a [3 + 2] Huisgen Addition of
Hydrazoic Acid or the Azide Anion to Nitriles (R = Ph)
In this work we present a thorough theoretical and
experimental study on the performance of the most commonly
used catalysts for the synthesis of tetrazoles. The mechanisms
and energy barriers involved in the azide−nitrile cycloaddition
promoted by each of the catalysts have been assessed through
DFT calculations at the M06-2X/6-311+G(d,p) level, including
solvent effects. The computational data has been compared
with kinetic experiments, all performed under exactly the same
conditions and catalyst loadings, therefore allowing a direct
comparison of the proficiency of the different additives. In
addition, as a result of these investigations, a novel and highly
efficient AlCl3/NMP catalytic system for the preparation of 5-
substituted tetrazoles from nitriles and NaN3 was developed.
than their 1H-tautomers.20 In contrast, our M06-2X calcu-
lations, including solvent effects (DMA), predict a slightly
higher thermodynamic stability for the 1H-tautomer of 5-
phenyltetrazole compared to the 2H-tautomer by 1.0 kcal
mol−1. Calculations in the gas phase at the same level of theory
switched their relative stability, with the 2H-tautomer more
stable by 2.5 kcal mol−1. These data are now in agreement with
previous B3LYP calculations,20 and reveal an important solvent
effect in the thermodynamic properties of the tetrazole moiety.
The 1,5-approach of HN3, which results in the1H-tetrazole, is
strongly preferred over the 1,3-approach by about 10 kcal
mol−1 (Scheme 2). The 1,3-attack of HN3 occurs in the plane
of the aromatic ring and perpendicular to the pπ-orbitals
(Figure 1), while the plane of attack for the 1,5-approach is
COMPUTATIONAL METHODS
■
All of the calculations reported in this work were carried out
using the Gaussian 09 package.17 The M06-2X18 density-
functional method in conjunction with the 6-311+G(d,p) basis
set was selected for all of the geometry optimizations and
frequency analysis. The geometries were optimized including
solvation effects. For this purpose, the SMD19 solvation method
was employed. Because N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) is not
internally stored in the Gaussian solvents list, N,N-dimethyla-
cetamide (DMA) was selected for all calculations because of
their analogous properties. Frequency calculations at 298.15 K
on all stationary points were carried out at the same level of
theory as the geometry optimizations to ascertain the nature of
the stationary points. Ground and transition states were
characterized by none and one imaginary frequency,
respectively. Benzonitrile and acetonitrile were chosen as
model substrates to compute all of the mechanisms and energy
barriers. The barriers presented along the manuscript refer to
those calculated for the reactions with benzonitrile. Data
corresponding to the aliphatic nitrile and discussion of the
energetics are collected in the Supporting Information. All of
the presented relative energies are free energies at 298.15 K
with respect to the reactants.
Figure 1. Optimized geometries for the transition states of the [3 + 2]
Huisgen cycloaddition of hydrazoic acid with benzonitrile.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
■
Uncatalyzed Azide−Nitrile Cycloaddition. In agreement
with previous computational investigations with the B3LYP
functional,14−16 calculations at the M06-2X/6-311+G(d,p) level
showed that the direct, uncatalyzed addition of the azide anion
2 and hydrazoic acid 4 to the nitrile group can proceed by a
traditional, concerted [3 + 2] Huisgen cycloaddition. For the
addition of the neutral HN3 dipole to the CN group,
synchronous transition states were located that give either the
1H- or the 2H-tetrazole as the product (Scheme 2). An
extensive theoretical study on the stability of the two
tautomeric forms of various 5-substituted tetrazoles in the gas
phase with the DFT method at the B3LYP/6-311++G** level
performed in 2001, showed that 2H-tetrazoles are more stable
twisted out of the plane of the ring by an angle of 24°. The
energy barrier for the reaction of the azide anion with
benzonitrile is considerably lower than the barrier for the
attack of the neutral hydrazoic acid (Scheme 2). The approach
of the azide again occurs in the plane of the phenyl ring, but the
transition state is noticeably asynchronous with Cnitrile−Nazide
bond distances of 1.63 Å and Nnitrile−Nazide bond distances of
2.31 Å. The phenyl group of benzonitrile activates the nitrile for
tetrazole formation compared to the reaction with acetonitrile
−
and lowers the barrier for the addition of N3 by ca. 3 kcal
mol−1 (see Table S1 in the Supporting Information for further
details).
B
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Brønsted Acid Catalyzed Azide−Nitrile Cycloaddition.
The calculations outlined above indicate that tetrazole
formation is faster with the electron-rich azide anion as the
1,3-dipolar species, compared to when its protonated counter-
part (HN3) acts as the 1,3-dipole. Experimentally, however, it is
found that the reaction is strongly accelerated by Brønsted
acids. To prevent the direct handling of the extremely toxic and
explosive hydrazoic acid,6 tetrazole formation is usually
performed with an azide salt (commonly NaN3) in mildly
acidic media. Several Brønsted acid catalysts have been used to
accelerate tetrazole synthesis, but the earliest and still most
commonly used acids are ammonium salts and acetic acid.7,8
Figure 2 depicts the conversions obtained in the reaction of
Figure 3. Optimized geometries for the plausible transition states
involved in the cycloaddition of azide with nitriles promoted by
Brønsted acids.
+37.6 kcal mol−1 with respect to the nitrile and HN3. This
process leads to the imidoyl azide INT1→3 as intermediate, and
the energy barrier for this reaction pathway is 12.7 kcal mol−1
lower than for the alternative concerted 1,3-addition of
hydrazoic acid to the nitrile and even 2.7 kcal mol−1 lower
than the barrier for the 1,5-addition (Scheme 2). However, the
barrier is still higher than for the direct cycloaddition of the
azide ion to the nitrile, and thus this mechanism does not
explain why tetrazole formation is faster under acidic
conditions.
Incorporation of a water molecule as a proton shuttle led to
the transition structure TS4 in Figure 3, in which the nitrile is
receiving a proton from the hydronium ion, and hydrogen
bonding between the water and the azide ion stabilizes the
structure. The 40.1 kcal mol−1 energy barrier for this reaction,
though, is even higher than the barrier for the reaction without
water. In contrast, when ammonia is incorporated as mediator
(TS5, Figure 3), the energy barrier decreased to 26.8 kcal
mol−1 (using as reference the nitrile, hydrazoic acid and
ammonia). The barrier is thus almost 11 kcal mol−1 lower than
the energy barrier for the unmediated reaction and about 7 kcal
mol−1 lower than the barrier for the uncatalyzed [3 + 2]
cycloaddition of the azide anion to the nitrile (TS2, Scheme 2).
No hydrogen bond interaction between the azide and ammonia
could be located for this transition state. The attack of the azide
ion to the nitrile carbon occurs in the plane of the phenyl ring
of benzonitrile and the CPh−C−N angle is bent from linearity
by approximately 47°. This value contrasts with the 26° and the
29° found for the CPh−C−N angles for the transition state
incorporating water (TS4) and the six-membered ring
transition state (TS3), respectively. Together with the much
shorter C−N distance for TS5 (1.66 Å) compared to TS3 and
TS4 (2.25 and 2.20 Å, respectively), the computed geometries
account for a late transition state in the presence of ammonia,
which could explain the enhanced reactivity.
Figure 2. Reaction progress (HPLC conversion at 215 nm) for the
cycloaddition of sodium azide with benzonitrile assisted by protic
acids. The results for the uncatalyzed process is also shown for
comparison. The rate constants have been determined assuming
second-order kinetics and reveal a reaction about 20 times faster in the
presence of 15 mol % of acid catalyst; kproton = 1.007 × 10−2 L mol−1
min−1; kuncatalyzed = 0.04592 × 10−2 L mol−1 min−1 (R > 0.99 in both
cases). Conditions: 1 mmol benzonitrile, 2 equiv NaN3, and 15 mol %
of catalyst, and 1 mL of NMP as solvent heated to a reaction
temperature of 160 °C (for reactions with 50% of catalyst, see Figure
S1 in the Supporting Information).
benzonitrile with NaN3 (2 equiv) at 160 °C in the presence of
AcOH, NH4Cl, and conc aqueous HCl in NMP as solvent,
compared with the uncatalyzed reaction. Tetrazole formation is
significantly accelerated by all of the above-mentioned acids (15
mol %), and all reactions follow a second order rate law with
exactly the same rate constant (Figure 2). This indicates that all
of these addition reactions proceed by the same mechanism,
and apparently the same catalytic species is involved in
speeding up the reaction.
Previous mechanistic studies14−16 suggested that in the
presence of protons the cycloaddition of the azide ion to the
nitrile is a stepwise process. The proton activates the nitrile
group and increases its reactivity toward the attack of the azide
ion. An open imidoyl azide intermediate (INT1→3, Scheme 1) is
then formed, which subsequently cyclizes in a second step to
the 1H-tetrazole.14−16 Indeed, a hypothetical reaction with the
proton of the hydrazoic acid incorporated in a six-membered
transition structure (TS3, Figure 3), in which the proton is
transferred from hydrazoic acid to the nitrile at the same time
as the Cnitrile−Nazide bond is formed, has an energy barrier of
C
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Figure 4. Optimized structures for the plausible transition states involved in the formation of 5-substituted-1H-tetrazoles assisted by acetic acid.
In a similar manner as ammonia, hydrazoic acid itself may
assist the formation of the imidoyl azide intermediate INT1→3
(TS6, Figure 3). Indeed, activation of benzonitrile with HN3
and attack of the azide ion gave a very similar energy barrier as
that found with NH3 as the mediator, with a difference in the
energy barrier of only 18.2 kcal mol−1 (22.7 kcal mol−1 with
respect to the substrates) and is thus a fast process under the
conditions required for tetrazole formation. It should be noted
that assistance of a protic species during the ring closing, as
exemplified by TS10 (Figure 4), does not enhance efficiency.
Thus, in the case of acetic acid, the corresponding barrier in the
presence of the protic species (TS10) is +22.9 kcal mol−1,
analogous to the unmediated process.
−
barriers of only 0.7 kcal mol−1. In this case, the attack of N3
occurs slightly outside of the aromatic plane at a dihedral angle
of about 142°.
A further commonly used catalyst for the synthesis of
tetrazoles is acetic acid.8 Several pathways can be envisaged for
the tetrazole formation in the presence of this catalyst. A
neutral transition state where the nitrile is attached to acetic
acid in the transition and the hydrazoic acid adds in a concerted
[3 + 2] reaction (TS7, Figure 4) has an energy barrier higher
than the barrier of the uncatalyzed concerted cycloaddition of
HN3 (+46.9 kcal mol−1). In contrast, the acetic acid catalyzed
formation of the imidoyl azide intermediate INT1→3 from
nitrile and hydrazoic acid (TS8, Figure 4) has an energy barrier
of 31.2 kcal mol−1. In the course of the INT1→3 formation, the
nitrile is protonated by the acetic acid while the azide ion,
attached to acetic acid by a hydrogen bond, reacts with the
electrophilic nitrile carbon. The CPh−C−N angle is just slightly
bent from linearity in the transition structure by 33°, and the
attack of the azide takes place in the plane of the aromatic ring
(Figure 4). The alternative reaction with an azide ion instead of
HN3 (TS9, Figure 4) in the presence of acetic acid leads to a
transition state with a relative energy of 3 kcal mol−1 lower than
that found for the neutral process. In this case the CPh−C−N
angle is bent by 48° in the transition structure, while for the
above-described alternative transition structures (TS7 and
TS8) a minor deviation from linearity was observed. The
shorter C−N distance in TS9 with respect to TS7 and TS8
(Figure 4), along with the angles observed, again suggests a late
transition structure with a lower energy barrier.
Comparison of the calculated energy barriers demonstrates
that the ammonium salt is the most efficient Brønsted acid for
the tetrazole formation, and there is obviously no correlation of
the acid strength of the acid catalyst and the rate-accelerating
effect. The energy of activation is only 0.7 kcal mol−1 higher for
the reaction catalyzed by hydrazoic itself (the pKa of hydrazoic
acid is ∼4.6 and thus comparable to the pKa of AcOH), but the
other investigated acids, H3O+ and AcOH, are significantly less
efficient catalysts for the formation of the imidoyl azide. With
the acid in catalytic amounts, and in particular in the presence
of strong acids, a significant part of the acidic catalyst will be
consumed to generate HN3, and according to the above
calculations, it can be argued that HN3 is the actual dominant
catalytic species for tetrazole syntheses involving Brønsted
acids. This conclusion is in perfect agreement with the above-
described experimental results (Figure 2), which revealed the
same rate constants for all of the Brønsted acid catalyzed
reactions.
Lewis Acid Catalyzed Azide−Nitrile Cycloaddition. In
2001 Demko and Sharpless introduced zinc salts as efficient
catalysts for the azide-nitrile addition in water as solvent.9 This
and related protocols have been heavily used since then,9 and
the mechanism for the zinc-catalyzed reaction, with acetonitile
−
as the dipolarophile and either N3 or methylazide as the 1,3-
dipole, was rationalized by B3LYP calculations by Sharpless and
Noodleman.15 According to this study, the zinc salt activates
the nitrile moiety by coordination to the nitrogen in a very
similar manner as Brønsted acids do, and addition of the azide
dipole subsequently furnishes the tetrazole as the product. The
addition occurs via a strongly asymmetric transition state, but
The open imidoyl azide intermediate INT1→3 formed in all of
the above-described stepwise addition reactions is rather stable.
The reaction of benzonitrile and HN3 to form INT1→3 is
endothermic by just 4.6 kcal mol−1. The subsequent ring
closing of the INT1→3 leading to the tetrazole occurs with an
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an imidoyl azide intermediate as in proton-catalyzed reactions
was not located.
We reinvestigated the zinc-catalyzed reaction with the M06-
2X functional, including the solvent effects, with the tetrahedral
complex 6 as the catalytic species (Figure 5). The complex has
Figure 6. Comparison of the reaction progress (HPLC conversion at
215 nm) for the cycloaddition of sodium azide with benzonitrile
assisted by AlCl3, NH4Cl, or ZnBr2 and the uncatalyzed reaction. The
determined rate constants assuming second-order kinetics are kAlCl
=
3
4.789 × 10−2 L mol−1 min−1; kNH Cl = 1.071 × 10−2 L mol−1 min−1;
4
kZnBr = 0.412 × 10−2 L mol−1 min−1; kuncatalyzed = 0.04592 × 10−2
L
2
mol−1 min−1 (R > 0.99 in all cases). Conditions: 1 mmol benzonitrile,
2 equiv NaN3, and 15 mol % of catalyst in 1 mL of NMP as solvent
heated to a reaction temperature of 160 °C (for reactions with 50% of
catalyst, see Figure S1 in the Supporting Information).
of +28.3 kcal mol−1, leads to an open imidoyl azide structure
where the imide nitrogen is coordinated to the aluminum
center. The formation of the aluminum-bonded imidoyl azide is
rather endothermic (+14.9 kcal mol−1), but the intermediate is
significantly more stable than the zinc-bonded analogue 7. The
subsequent cyclization to the aluminum-bonded tetrazolate
occurs faster than the azide−nitrile addition via transition state
TS14 (Figure 7). The calculated energy barrier is +25.9 kcal
Figure 5. Optimized geometries (M06-2X/6-311+G(d,p)) for the
stationary points involved in the reaction of benzonitrile with azide
promoted by ZnBr2.
an azide, two bromide ions, and a molecule of solvent (NMP)
coordinated to the zinc center. Attack of the azide ion to the
benzonitrile activated by the zinc complex gave an energy
barrier of 25.8 kcal mol−1, leading to a zinc-bonded imidoyl
azide 7 (Figure 5) as an open chain intermediate. In contrast to
the formation of the imidoyl azide INT1→3 in the acid-catalyzed
reactions described above, the formation of the 7 is, with a
relative energy of 21.4 kcal mol−1, strongly endothermic. On
the other hand, the ring-closing process of the 7 to the zinc-
bonded tetrazolate via transition structure TS12 (Figure 5) has
an energy barrier of 8.6 kcal mol−1 with respect to the open
chain intermediate 7. Accordingly, the ring closing would
actually be the rate-determining step, and the overall barrier is,
with +30.1 kcal mol−1, just 3 kcal mol−1 lower than for the
uncatalyzed concerted azide−nitrile addition. These results are
in good qualitative agreement with experiments performed with
benzonitrile and NaN3 in NMP as solvent (Figure 6). Although
the experiments showed a considerable catalytic effect of zinc
bromide, the reaction proceeded significantly more slowly than
it did with Brønsted acid catalysis.
Aluminum compounds such as Al(N3)3, AlCl3, or Al(CH3)3
have also been used as Lewis acid catalysts for the formation of
tetrazoles.10,15 The proposed mechanism for the reaction of the
azide ion with benzonitrile catalyzed by AlCl3 is analogous to
the corresponding mechanism for the ZnBr2-catalyzed cyclo-
additions.21 Thus, AlCl3 coordinates to the nitrile nitrogen and
activates the carbon toward the nucleophilic attack of the azide
anion. The corresponding transition state TS13, with a barrier
Figure 7. Optimized geometries (M06-2X/6-311+G(d,p)) for the
stationary points involved in the reaction of benzonitrile with azide
promoted by AlCl3.
mol−1. Consequently, the overall barrier is 2.2 kcal mol−1 lower
than for the zinc-catalyzed reaction. Furthermore, the energy
barrier is 1.5 kcal mol−1 above the barrier of the reaction using
the ammonium cation as the catalyst. Experiments indicate,
however, that from all catalysts tested during the present study,
AlCl3 is by far the most efficient additive for the reaction of
NaN3 with benzonitrile in NMP as solvent (Figure 6).
Obviously, AlCl3 does not follow the expected mechanism,
and other active species are responsible of the rate enhance-
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ment as will be described below. The reaction still follows a
second-order kinetic for low catalyst loadings, but the rate
constant is 1 order of magnitude higher than the rate constant
for the ZnBr2-catalyzed reaction. Interestingly, increasing the
catalyst loading above ca. 25 mol % did not increase the
reaction rate further, but rather the rate decreased again. This
can be likely ascribed to the formation of Al(N3)3, which is not
participating in azide−nitrile additions (see Figure S1 in the
Supporting Information for more details).10
Vilsmeier−Haack-Type Organocatalysts. Our group has
recently reported the generation of the Vilsmeier−Haack-type
5-chloro-1-methyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-pyrrolium chloride 8
(Scheme 3) during the synthesis of tetrazoles in the presence
10 (Figure 8). The ensuing ring-closing step (TS15, Figure 8)
of 10 has a barrier of only +25.9 kcal mol−1, which is
approximately 1 kcal mol−1 lower than the barrier for the
reaction catalyzed by the ammonium cation, the most efficient
catalyst previously found in this study. An alternative transition
structure TS16 (Figure 8) was located. In this case, the Cnitirle
−
Nazide bond is formed at the same time as the carbon−azide
bond of the catalyst breaks. However, the calculated energy
barrier for this concerted azide transfer is rather high (more
than 50 kcal mol−1).
In the present work we have now demonstrated that the
same Vilsmeier−Haack compound 8, formed from TMSCl and
NMP, is also generated from AlCl3 and NMP. In contrast to the
reaction with TMSCl, which required high temperatures, the
formation of 8 from AlCl3 in NMP occurred readily at room
Scheme 3. Preparation of Tetrazoles Promoted by the
Organocatalyst 9, Generated from NMP and TMSCl
1
temperature. This was demonstrated by H NMR monitoring
of a mixture containing both substances in CDCl3 (Figure 9)
of catalytic amounts of TMSCl in NMP as solvent.16 Chloro
derivative 8 readily leads to azide structure 9 in the presence of
NaN3, which displays a remarkably efficient catalytic activity
toward tetrazole synthesis. A range of aromatic nitriles could be
transformed to the respective tetrazoles with 1.2 equiv of NaN3
at reaction temperatures of 220 °C and reaction times <20
min.16 The mechanism of the reaction was explored by DFT
calculations at the B3LYP and the M06-2X level.16 The
calculations suggested that, similar to the reaction mechanism
of other Lewis acid and proton acid catalysts, the activation of
the nitrile is responsible for the rate enhancement. Addition of
the azide ion then occurs on the activated nitrile carbon
without any energy barrier, and the subsequent ring closing of
the imidoyl azide intermediate is the rate-determining step.16
A comparative reinvestigation of the mechanism at the M06-
2X/6-311+G(d,p)level revealed that dihydropyrrolium azide 9
catalyzes the tetrazole formation more efficiently than any other
catalyst investigated in the present study. Pyrrolium azide 9
activates the nitrile and a barrier-less attack of the azide ion to
the nitrile carbon follows to form the open chain intermediate
Figure 9. 1H NMR spectra of solutions in CDCl3 containing (a) pure
NMP, (b) pure pyrrolium chloride 8, (c) a mixture of TMSCl and
NMP, and (d) a mixture of AlCl3 and NMP. The formation of 8 from
AlCl3 and NMP can be clearly observed (the samples were prepared
under argon atmosphere and the spectra recorded immediately upon
preparation).
Figure 8. Geometries of the stationary points involved in the tetrazole formation promoted by organocatalyst 9, optimized at the M06-2X/6-
311+G(d,p) level.
F
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a
Table 1. Preparation of Tetrazoles 3 Promoted by the AlCl3/NMP System
a
Reaction conditions: 1 mmol nitrile, 3 mmol NaN3, 0.15 mmol AlCl3, and 1.0 mL NMP. Single-mode microwave heating at 200 °C (IR
b
temperature measurement). Isolated yield.
and comparison with the spectra for pure 8.16 Importantly,
TMSCl showed no reaction with NMP at room temperature
(Figure 9).16 These results indicate that the Vilsmeier−Haack
type azido structure 9 (Scheme 3) is the catalytic species in the
AlCl3/NMP system and the facile formation of the
dihydropyrrolium cation from AlCl3 and NMP even at room
temperature explains its remarkable catalytic efficiency toward
tetrazole synthesis.
AlCl3 also reacts with DMA at room temperature to produce
most likely the corresponding ethaniminium chloride (see
Figure S3 in the Supporting Information). Analogous Lewis
acidic properties of this species and the dihydropyrrolium
cation 8 can be expected. Indeed, tetrazole formation occurred
at the same rate with catalytic amounts (15 mol %) of AlCl3 in
DMA and in NMP as solvent (Figure S2 in the Supporting
Information). It should be noted that the ethaniminium
chloride was not formed from DMA and TMSCl. Correspond-
ingly, tetrazole formation was not appreciably accelerated by
TMSCl in DMA as solvent (Figure S2 in the Supporting
Information).
Scope of the AlCl3/NMP System for the Azide−Nitrile
Cycloaddition. The AlCl3/NMP system displayed very high
efficiency for the synthesis of 5-phenyl-1H-tetrazole from
benzonitrile and NaN3.To demonstrate the general applicability
of this novel reaction system, a series of aromatic nitriles,
containing electron-withdrawing and electron-donating groups,
were transformed to the corresponding 5-substituted-1H-
tetrazoles. Good to excellent yields were obtained for all tested
substrates within <10 min reaction time with 15 mol % catalyst
loading (Table 1). The required temperature for this protocol
(200 °C; for an evaluation of different time/temperature
regimes, see Figure S4 in the Supporting Information) is lower
than for our previously reported TMSCl/NMP system,16 and
the reaction times are considerably shorter. Isolation of the
tetrazole products was simple and only involved dilution with
water, precipitation with conc HCl, and subsequent product
filtration (3a−g) or extraction with ethyl acetate after dilution
with water and acidification (3h).
salts), and the organocatalyst 9. In all cases activation of the
nitrile group by the catalyst is responsible for the rate
enhancement, in a stepwise cycloaddition involving the initial
formation of an open-chain imidoyl azide intermediate.
Comparative experiments in NMP as solvent carried out
under the exact same reaction conditions for all of the catalysts
revealed that all Brønsted acids have the same efficiency toward
tetrazole formation. Supported by the theoretical calculations,
we speculate that in all cases the same species (i.e., HN3) is
involved regardless of the acid strength. Lewis acids such as Zn
or Al salts or the organocatalyst 9 perform in a similar manner,
activating the nitrile moiety and leading to an open-chain
intermediate. All experimental rate constants and theoretical
energy barriers obtained in this work are collected in Table
2.The kinetic data qualitatively fit nicely with the computed
Table 2. Calculated Free Energy Barriers at the M06-2X/6-
311+G(d,p) Level and Experimental Relative Rate Constants
Obtained from the Kinetic Data for All Assessed Catalysts
calcd overall energy barrier
exptl relative rate constant
additive
(kcal mol−1
)
( × 10−2 L mol−1 min−1
)
9
25.4
26.8
27.5
30.1
33.1
28.3
40.2
28.2
4.789
1.071
0.976
0.412
0.0459
a
+
NH4
HN3
ZnBr2
None
AlCl3
H3O+
AcOH
a
a
a
AlCl3, HCl and AcOH are not the active species during the azide-
nitrile cycloaddition, they lead to 9 (AlCl3) or HN3 (HCl and AcOH),
which are more efficient catalysts for the tetrazole formation.
energy barriers. Therefore, organocatalyst 9, formed in situ
from AlCl3 and NMP, is by far the best catalyst evaluated in the
present study. Zinc bromide shows a poor efficiency compared
to that of 9 and the Brønsted acids, but the reactions still show
a significant rate enhancement with respect to the uncatalyzed
reaction. In the absence of any catalyst, the azide−nitrile
cycloaddition performs rather poorly and thus is difficult to
exploit synthetically.22 To the best of our knowledge, this is the
first comparative study assessing the reactivity of most of the
popular catalytic systems reported for the preparation of
CONCLUSIONS
■
An in-depth computational study at the M06-2X/6-311+G(d,p)
level on the catalyzed azide−nitrile cycloaddition has been
performed, including several popular additives such as Brønsted
acids (AcOH, NH4Cl, HCl), Lewis acids (zinc and aluminum
G
dx.doi.org/10.1021/jo3022742 | J. Org. Chem. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX

The Journal of Organic Chemistry
Article
5-(4′-Tolyl)tetrazole (3b). Yield 155 mg (57%, workup A); mp
tetrazoles via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azide salts with
nitriles. Gratifyingly, theoretical and experimental data show a
very good qualitative agreement and reveal the M06-2X
functional as a powerful tool for assessing mechanisms
involving 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions. In addition, the hitherto
unreported AlCl3/NMP system was shown to catalyze the
reaction with unprecedented efficiency. A set of substituted
nitriles including electron-withdrawing and electron-donating
groups have been transformed in good to excellent yields to the
corresponding tetrazoles after reaction times of only 3−10 min
at 200 °C.
251−252 °C, lit.11b mp 246−248 °C with decomp; H NMR (300
1
MHz, DMSO-d6) δ 7.93 (d, J = 8.0 Hz, 2H), 7.41 (d, J = 8.0 Hz, 2H),
2.38 (s, 3H).
5-(4′-Chlorophenyl)tetrazole (3c). Yield 180 mg (99%, workup
A); mp 252−254 °C with decomp, lit.11b mp 252−254 °C; H NMR
1
(300 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ 8.05 (d, J = 8.4 Hz, 2H), 7.69 (d, J = 8.4 Hz,
2H).
5-(4′-(Trifluoromethyl)phenyl)tetrazole (3d). Yield 206 mg
(96%, workup A); mp 222−223 °C with decomp, lit.11b mp 221−222
°C; 1H NMR (300 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ 8.25 (d, J = 8.1 Hz, 2H), 7.98
(d, J = 8.1 Hz, 2H).
5-(3′-Methoxyphenyl)tetrazole (3e). Yield 152 mg (86%,
workup A); mp 158−160 °C, lit.24 mp 156−157 °C; H NMR (300
1
EXPERIMENTAL SECTION
MHz, DMSO-d6) δ 7.58−7.63 (m, 2H), 7.51 (t, J = 8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.16
(dd, J = 2.4 and 8.1 Hz, 1H), 3.85 (s, 3H).
■
General Remarks. 1H NMR spectra were recorded on a 300 MHz
instrument. 13C NMR spectra were recorded on the same instrument
at 75 MHz. Chemical shifts (δ) are expressed in ppm downfield from
TMS as internal standard. The letters s, d, t, q, and m are used to
indicate singlet, doublet, triplet, quadruplet, and multiplet, respectively.
Analytical HPLC analysis was carried out on a C18 reversed-phase
(RP) analytical column (150 mm × 4.6 mm, particle size 5 mm) at 25
°C using a mobile phase A (water/acetonitrile 90:10 (v/v) + 0.1%
TFA) and B (MeCN + 0.1% TFA) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min−1. The
following gradient was applied: linear increase from 30% solution B to
100% B in 8 min, hold at 100% solution B for 2 min. Melting points
were determined on a standard melting point apparatus in open
capillaries. All anhydrous solvents (stored over molecular sieves) and
chemicals were obtained from standard commercial vendors and were
used without any further purification.
5-(3′-Nitrophenyl)tetrazole (3f). Yield 187 mg (98%, workup
A); mp 118−120 °C with decomp, lit.25 mp 145−146 °C; H NMR
1
(300 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ 8.82 (s, 1H), 8.40−8.47 (m, 2H), 7.90 (t, J =
8.1 Hz, 1H).
5-((4′-Chlorophenyl)methyl)tetrazole (3g). Yield 160 mg (82%,
workup A); mp 160−162 °C, lit.26 mp 164 °C; H NMR (300 MHz,
1
DMSO-d6) δ 7.41 (d, J = 8.4 Hz, 2H), 7.30 (d, J = 8.4 Hz, 2H), 4.30
(s, 2H).
5-(2′-Furyl)tetrazole (3h). Yield 106 mg (78%, workup B); mp
201−203 °C, lit.24 mp 204−205 °C; 1H NMR (300 MHz, DMSO-d6)
δ 8.06 (m, 1H, CH), 7.29 (d, J = 3.6 Hz, 1H, CH), 6.79−6.81 (m, 1H,
CH).
ASSOCIATED CONTENT
* Supporting Information
■
Procedure for the Kinetic Experiments (Figures 2 and 6). To
a solution of the corresponding catalyst (0.15 mmol) in anhydrous
NMP (1.0 mL) were added NaN3 (130 mg, 2.0 mmol) and the
corresponding nitrile (1.0 mmol). The reaction mixture was placed in
a sealed Pyrex screw cap reaction vial and heated on a hot plate
equipped with a silicon carbide heating block with a 6 × 4 deep well
matrix preheated at 160 °C.23 The reaction progress was monitored by
HPLC (215 nm) by injecting samples of approximately 2 μL diluted in
acetonitrile.
S
Supplementary tables and figures, complete ref 17, Cartesian
coordinates, energy, and imaginary frequency (transition states)
for all of the calculated stationary points. This material is
available free of charge via the Internet at http://pubs.acs.org.
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Corresponding Author
*E-mail: oliver.kappe@uni-graz.at.
■
General Procedure for the Synthesis of 5-Substituted-1H-
tetrazoles 5 (Table 1). To a solution of anhydrous AlCl3 (19.9 mg,
0.15 mmol) in anhydrous NMP (1.0 mL) were added NaN3 (195 mg,
3.0 mmol) and the corresponding nitrile (1.0 mmol). The reaction
mixture was stirred for 1 min and was subsequently irradiated in a
single-mode microwave instrument (Biotage Initiator 2.5) at 200 °C
(IR temperature measurement) for 3−10 min (see Table 1). Workup
A: The reaction mixture was poured into 10 mL of H2O. The pH of
the solution was adjusted to ∼ pH 1 with concentrated HCl (Caution:
gas evolution). The mixture was cooled in an ice-bath, and the
precipitate was collected by filtration and washed thoroughly with cold
1 N HCl to furnish the desired tetrazole. Workup B: The reaction
mixture was poured into 10 mL of saturated NaHCO3 and extracted
three times with 20 mL of CHCl3. The aqueous phase was carefully
acidified with concentrated HCl to ∼ pH 1 (Caution: gas evolution)
and extracted three times with 20 mL of EtOAc. The combined
organic phases were dried over magnesium sulfate and concentrated in
vacuo to obtain the pure tetrazole products, identical in all respects to
sample previously prepared in our laboratories using a similar
method.16 The purity of all synthesized compounds (>98%) was
Notes
The authors declare no competing financial interest.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This work was supported by a grant from the Christian
Doppler Research Society (CDG). D.C. thanks the Spanish
■
Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion
Research, Technological Innovation, and Supercomputing
Center of Extremadura (CenitS) for their support in the use
́
for a fellowship and the
́
of LUSITANIA computer resources.
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dx.doi.org/10.1021/jo3022742 | J. Org. Chem. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX

The Journal of Organic Chemistry
Article
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I
dx.doi.org/10.1021/jo3022742 | J. Org. Chem. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX