Highly-substituted pyrazoles and pyridazines by MIRC reactions of hydrazone anions and nitrobutadienic fragments

In prosecution of the synthetic exploitation of nitrobutadienes deriving from the initial ring-opening of nitrothiophenes, their multifaceted behavior finds a further clear-cut example in their Michael-type acceptor reactivity toward the anions of alpha-oxohydrazones. Thus, depending on the starting diene, new poly-functionalized pyrazoles are obtained. Furthermore, most interestingly, in one occasion a dichotomy has been observed, depending on the nature of the Michael-type donor, leading with complete selectivity to either 5-member or 6-member N-heterocycles. The outcome encompasses motifs for both mechanistic and synthetic interest, for example, in the field of heterocycles endowed with possible pharmacological/biological activity. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.