[1]Benzofuro[3,2-c]pyridine synthesis and coordination reactions

(E)-3-(1-Benzofuran-2-yl)propenoic acid (1) was prepared from 1-benzofuran-2-carbaldehyde under the Doebner’s conditions. The obtained acid was converted to the corresponding azide 2, which was cyclized by heating in diphenyl ether to [1]benzofuro[3,2-c]pyridine-1(2H)-one (3). This compound was aromatized with phosphorus oxychloride to chloroderivative 4 which was reduced with zinc and acetic acid to the title compound 5. [1]Benzofuro[3,2-c]pyridine-2-oxide (6) was synthesized by reaction of 5 with 3-chloroperoxybenzoic acid in dichloromethane. Treatment of 6 with benzoyl chloride and potassium cyanide (Reissert-Henze reaction) was shown to produce the corresponding [1]benzofuro[3,2-c]pyridine-1-carbonitrile (7). The title compound was used for preparation of complexes Cu2(ac)4(bfp)2 (8) and CoCl2(bfp)2 (9), where ac=CH3CO2− and bfp=[1]benzofuro[3,2-c]pyridine. Both oxygen atom of carboxylate ions is used in the coordination to Cu(II). Thermal properties of the complexes 8 and 9 have been studied by TG and DTA and both complexes exhibited high thermal stability while complex 9 are thermally more stable than complex 8.