2-Aza-1,3-dienes with electron-releasing substituents at the 1,3 positions - Reagents for the construction of pyridine and pyrimidine derivatives.

New 2-aza-1,3-dienes bearing 1 and 3-donor substituents are prepared from N-thioacylacetamidines through deprotonation of N-ylidene acetamidinium iodides. The 2-aza-3-(dimethylamino)-1-(methylthio)-1-phenylbutadiene (3) is trapped in situ by the residual precursor salt acting as a heterodienophile to give the pyrimidine 5. substituted 2-aza-1-(dimethylamino)-3-(methylthio) analogues react readily with a variety of electron-deficient dienophiles to yield pyridine or pyrimidine derivatives. The stereochemistry of the hetero Diels-Alder reaction in the cases of dimethyl fumarate and acrylonitrile has been assigned by X-ray diffraction analyses of the resulting tetrahydropyridines and corresponds to an exo selectivity. The number and nature of cycloadducts in the cases of dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate and phenyl isothiocyanate depend on C-4 substitution. The results obtained from the C-4 unsubstituted azabutadiene 8 are explained by an allylic rearrangement involving the 1,3-migration of dimethylamino group in the primary [4 + 2] adduct. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd