Ahmad
Reza Massah
*ab,
Safura
Sayadi
a and
Sara
Ebrahimi
a
aShahreza Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahreza, Isfahan 86145-311, Iran
bRazi Chemistry Research Center, Shahreza Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahreza, Isfahan 86145-311, Iran. E-mail: Massah@iaush.ac.ir
First published on 15th May 2012
A general, mild, convenient and environmentally benign method was developed for the synthesis of various N-aryl and N-alkyl sulfonamides in water. Trichloroisocyanuric acid (TCCA) was used for the oxidative chlorination of disulfides and thiols to produce the corresponding sulfonyl chloride, which reacted in situ with different amines in the absence of organic bases, to furnish sulfonamides in good to excellent yields. The isolation of the products involves simple experimental conditions and a product isolation procedure (only filtration) in the absence of organic solvents, which makes this protocol potentially useful in the development of a green strategy for the synthesis of sulfonamides.
In recent years, organic reactions that can proceed in water have attracted great interest because of the significant environmental and economical advantages over those occurring in organic solvents.24 In continuation of our studies on the development of green methods for the synthesis of sulfonamides and their acylated derivatives,25 we report here an efficient, facile and environmentally benign in situ method for the synthesis of sulfonamides directly from thiols and disulfides in water (Scheme 1). The oxidation, chlorination and amination steps were carried out in water without the need to isolate sulfonyl chloride. This method eliminates the use of organic solvents and amine bases and the desired sulfonamides were easily isolated in high to excellent yields and purities by a simple filtration technique, which makes it ideal for green chemistry applications.
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Scheme 1 The direct conversion of disulfides and thiols to sulfonamides. |
Entry | Solvent | K2CO3 (mmol) | TCCA (g) | Time (min) | Yield (%)a |
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a Isolated yield. b H2O: 1.0 mL. c H2O: 1.5 mL. d H2O: 2.0 mL. e H2O: 4.0 mL. | |||||
1 | Acetone | 6 | 0.5 | 270 | 30 |
2 | CH3CN | 6 | 0.5 | 15 | 83 |
3 | CH2Cl2 | 6 | 0.5 | 60 | 79 |
4 | THF | 6 | 0.5 | 150 | 58 |
5 | H2Ob | 6 | 0.5 | 30 | 89 |
6 | H2O | 6 | 0.125 | 55 | 45 |
7 | H2O | 6 | 0.250 | 45 | 50 |
8 | H2O | 6 | 0.625 | 30 | 68 |
9 | H2Oc | 6 | 0.5 | 30 | 81 |
10 | H2Od | 6 | 0.5 | 30 | 77 |
11 | H2Oe | 6 | 0.5 | 30 | 64 |
12 | H2O | 2 | 0.5 | 50 | 40 |
13 | H2O | 4 | 0.5 | 40 | 59 |
14 | H2O | 8 | 0.5 | 30 | 77 |
15 | H2O | 10 | 0.5 | 35 | 68 |
These pleasing results prompted us to apply this new protocol to a variety of amines. The results, which are summarized in Tables 2 and 3, indicate that various functional groups are well tolerated and the desired sulfonamides are obtained in good to excellent yields in relatively short reaction times. It was observed that electronic and steric factors play a significant role in these reactions. Both aliphatic and aromatic amines gave high yields of the corresponding sulfonamides. As may be expected, primary amines gave excellent yields of sulfonamides, except for primary amines with long chains (Table 2 and 3, entries 3 and 6). Not surprisingly, a moderate yield of sulfonamide was obtained with sterically hindered amines (Table 2 and 3, entry 2). Diisopropylamine did not react via this method due to the high steric bulk effect from the substituents. With the excellent results achieve for the alkyl amines in hand, we turned our attention to the less nucleophilic anilines. With aniline itself, 80 and 85% yields of sulfonamide were afforded (Table 2 and 3, entry 8). Anilines with poor electron-withdrawing groups, such as chloro and bromo groups, showed similar reactivity to aniline, whereas strong electron-withdrawing groups, such as the nitro group, reduced the rate and the yield of the reaction substantially. Aromatic amines substituted with electron-donating groups reacted faster and provided sulfonamides in higher yields. The negative influence of steric hindrance upon the yield of the products obtained from anilines was observed, with the exception of anilines with electron donating groups at the ortho position (Table 2, entries 10 and 12). The extension of this new method for the synthesis of sulfonamide containing heterocyclic groups is anticipated. When several commercially available heterocyclic amines, such as histamine (Table 2, entry 20) and primary amines derived from pyridine (Table 2, entry 21, 22, 24 and 25) as well as piperazine (Table 2, entry 23) and 2-amino thiazol (Table 2, entry 27), were reacted, the corresponding sulfonamides were formed in good to high yields in less than 1.5 h. These results indicate that this one-pot two-step synthesis of aliphatic and aromatic sulfonamides is likely to be generally applicable. It should be mentioned that several efforts to use this method for the sulfonation of alcohols and phenols for the synthesis of sulfonate esters were not successful.
The plausible mechanism for the direct conversion of thiols and disulfides to sulfonamides with TCCA in water is shown in Scheme 2. Water as the media promotes the conversion of TCCA to a super electrophilic species (A, B, C and HOCl) causing “Cl+” transfer to the disulfide.27 Then, the successive oxidation of both sulfur atoms of the disulfide molecule by hypochlorous acid produces the intermediate (D) that undergoes rapid isomerization to the thiosulfonate (E), which can easily furnish the sulfonyl chloride and thiol. The produced thiol gives the corresponding symmetric disulfide through the corresponding sulfenic acid (F).28
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Scheme 2 A plausible mechanism for the oxidative chlorination and amination of thiol and disulfide with TCCA in water. |
With regards to the reagents, solvent, base and reaction time, a comparative study was performed comparing some of the reported methods for the synthesis of sulfonamides from thiol and disulfide to our method employing TCCA in water (Table 4). It is noteworthy that, in all of the reported methods, the preparation of sulfonamides is performed in organic solvents. In addition, the use of organic amine bases, such as pyridine or an excess of amines, to scavenge the generated hydrogen chloride is another disadvantage of these methods. Furthermore, in most of the methods, sulfonamides were synthesized in two steps and it is necessary to separate the sulfonyl chloride from the reaction mixture in the first step. In the new synthetic protocol reported here, oxidation, chlorination and amination are carried out in water without the need to isolate the sulfonyl chloride. This method eliminates the use of organic solvents and amine bases and the desired sulfonamides are obtained after a simple work-up procedure.
Entry | Thiol or disulfide | Product | Reagent | Solvent | Time (min) | Base | Ref. |
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1 |
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TMSCl–KNO3 | CH2Cl2 | 60 | 18 | |
360 | |||||||
2 |
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H2O2–SOCl2 | CH3CN | 2 | Pyridine | 28 |
3 |
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CH3CN–HOAc–H2O | 60 | 30 | |
4 |
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Cl2 or NaOCl, HCl | CH2Cl2 | 55 | BnNH2 (excess) | 16 |
5 |
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TCCA, BnMe3NCl | CH3CN | 130 | Et3N | 23 |
6 |
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H2O2–ZrCl4 | CH3CN | 2 | Pyridine | 29 |
7 |
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TCCA | H2O | 45 | K2CO3 | This work |
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Scheme 3 The selective sulfonation of amines. |
N-hexylbenzenesulfonamide, (Table 2, entry 3) mp 87–89 °C; Rf 0.45 (20% ethyl acetate, 80% n-hexane); Vmax (KBr)/cm−1: 3285 (N–H), 1325, 1161(SO2), 587 (C–N); δH (400 MHz; CDCl3) 0.83 (3H, t, J 7.2), 1.12–1.28 (6H, m), 1.45 (2H, quint., J 7.2 Hz), 2.93 (2H, td, J 6.8, 7.2 Hz), 5.16 (1HN–H, t, J 5.6), 7.49–7.60 (3Harom, m), 7.89 (2Harom, d, J 7.2); δC (100 MHz; CDCl3) 17.6, 24.0, 26.1, 29.7, 32.2, 42.0, 129.1, 130.7, 134.0, 140.0.
N,N′-(propane-1,3-diyl)dibenzenesulfonamide, (Table 2, entry 4) mp 88–90 °C; Rf 0.23 (40% ethyl acetate, 60% n-hexane); Vmax (KBr)/cm−1: 3277(N–H), 1332, 1173 (SO2), 728 (C–N); δH (400 MHz; DMSO-d6) 1.52 (2H, quint., J 6.8 Hz), 2.72 (4H, td, J 6.4, 6.8 Hz), 7.57–7.68 (6Harom, 2HN–H, m), 7.75–7.80 (4Harom, m); δC (100 MHz; DMSO-d6) 29.9, 39.9, 126.9, 129.7, 132.8, 140.8.
N,N′-(butane-1,4-diyl)dibenzenesulfonamide, (Table 2, entry 5) mp 120–122 °C; Rf 0.26 (40% ethyl acetate, 60% n-hexane); Vmax (KBr)/cm−1: 3269 (N–H), 1326, 1161 (SO2),885 (C–N); δH (400 MHz; DMSO-d6) 1.30–1.42 (4H, m, br), 2.60–2.74 (4H, m, br), 7.54–7.67 (6Harom, 2HN–H, m), 7.78 (4Harom, d, J 6.8); δC (100 MHz; DMSO-d6) 26.9, 40.2, 126.9, 129.7, 132.8, 144.8.
N,N′-(hexane-1,6-diyl)dibenzenesulfonamide, (Table 2, entry 6) mp 142–144 °C; Rf 0.26 (40% ethyl acetate, 60% n-hexane); Vmax (KBr)/cm−1: 3292 (N–H), 1324, 1157 (SO2), 919 (C–N); δH (400 MHz; DMSO-d6) 1.01–1.14 (4H, m), 1.21–1.36 (4H, m), 2.82 (4H, q, J 6.4), 7.56–7.68 (6Harom, 2HN–H, m), 7.78–7.83 (4Harom,m); δC (100 MHz; DMSO-d6) 28.9, 29.9, 40.4, 126.9, 129.7, 132.8, 140.8.
N-cyclohexylbenzenesulfonamide,(Table 2, entry 7) mp76–78 °C; Rf 0.45 (20% ethyl acetate, 80% n-hexane); Vmax (KBr)/cm−1: 3267 (N–H), 2934 (C–Haliph), 1329, 1158 (SO2), 881 (C–N); δH (400 MHz; DMSO-d6) 0.90–1.29 (5H, m), 1.35–1.69 (5H, m), 2.80–3.12 (1H, m), 7.45–7.69 (4Harom, m), 7.70–7.81 (2 H, m), δC (100 MHz; DMSO-d6) 24.9, 25.9, 33.9, 39.9, 126.9, 129.7, 132.8, 142.8.
N-phenylbenzenesulfonamide, (Table 2, entry 8) mp 100–102 °C; Rf 0.39 (20% ethyl acetate, 80% n-hexane); Vmax (KBr)/cm−1: 3214 (N–H), 1330, 1157 (SO2), 928 (C–N); δH (400 MHz; DMSO-d6) 6.99–7.03 (1Harom, m), 7.09–7.13 (2Harom, m), 7.20–7.24 (2Harom, m), 7.51–7.62 (3 Harom, m), 7.76–7.81 (2Harom, m), 10.30 (1 HN–H, s); δC (100 MHz; DMSO-d6) 120.5, 124.4, 127.1, 129.6, 129.7, 133.2, 138.4, 140.2.
N-(4-methoxyphenyl)benzenesulfonamide, (Table 2, entry 9) mp 88–90 °C; Rf 0.26 (20% ethyl acetate, 80% n-hexane); Vmax (KBr)/cm−1: 3256 (N–H), 1334, 1154 (SO2), 581 (C–N); δH (400 MHz; CDCl3) 3.81 (3H,s), 6.78 (2Harom, d, J 9.2 Hz), 7.05 (2Harom, d, J 9.2 Hz), 7.11(1HN–H, s), 7.41–7.53 (3Harom, m), 7.72 (2Harom, d, J 7.6); δC (100 MHz; CDCl3) 56.6, 115.0, 127.2, 129.7, 130.1, 133.3, 133.9, 140.0, 154.5.
N-(2-methoxyphenyl)benzenesulfonamide, (Table 2, entry 10) mp 86–88 °C; Rf 0.27 (20% ethyl acetate, 80% n-hexane); Vmax (KBr)/cm−1: 3256 (N–H), 1337, 1168 (SO2), 577 (C–N); δH (400 MHz; CDCl3) 3.76 (3H,s), 6.77 (2Harom, d, J 9.0 Hz), 7.02 (2Harom, d, J 9.2 Hz), 7.08(1HN–H, s), 7.41–7.44 (2Harom, m), 7.55 (1Harom, t, J 8.0), 7.75 (2Harom, d, J 7.6); δC (100 MHz; CDCl3) 53.6, 115.4, 121.4,122.0, 127.0, 128.6, 132.2, 135.2, 137.6, 139.2, 147.1.
N-p-tolylbenzenesulfonamide, (Table 2, entry 11) mp 110–112 °C; Rf 0.45 (20% ethyl acetate, 80% n-hexane); Vmax (KBr)/cm−1: 3270 (N–H), 1129, 1156 (SO2), 911 (C–N); δH (400 MHz; DMSO-d6) 2.17 (3H,s), 6.97–7.05 (4Harom, m), 7.51–7.62 (3Harom, m), 7.73–7.77 (2 Harom, m), 10.16 (1 HN–H, s); δC (100 MHz; DMSO-d6) 20.7, 121.1, 127.1, 129.6, 130.0, 133.2, 133.9, 135.5, 140.0.
N-o-tolylbenzenesulfonamide, (Table 2, entry 12) mp 109–111 °C; Rf 0.42 (20% ethyl acetate, 80% n-hexane); Vmax (KBr)/cm−1: 3273 (N–H), 1327, 1165 (SO2),758 (C–N); δH (400 MHz; DMSO-d6) 2.00 (3H,s), 6.97–7.00 (1Harom, m), 7.08–7.15 (3Harom, m), 7.53–7.57 (2 Harom, m), 7.62–7.68 (3Harom, m), 9.62 (1 H, s, N–H); δC (100 MHz; DMSO-d6) 18.0, 126.8, 126.9, 127.0, 127.0, 129.6, 131.2, 133.2, 134.6, 135.2, 141.1.
N-(3-chlorophenyl)benzenesulfonamide, (Table 2, entry 15) mp 109–111 °C; Rf 0.37 (20% ethyl acetate, 80% n-hexane); Vmax (KBr)/cm−1: 3204 (N–H), 1317, 1157 (SO2), 941 (C–N), 731 (C–Cl); δH (400 MHz; DMSO-d6) 7.05–7.16 (3Harom, m), 7.23–7.29 (1Harom, m), 7.54–7.66 (3Harom, m), 7.78–7.84 (2 Harom, m), 10.65 (1 HN–H, s); δC (100 MHz; DMSO-d6) 118.5, 119.5, 124.2, 127.1, 129.9, 131.4, 133.6, 133.9, 139.6, 139.8.
N-(2-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)ethyl)benzenesulfonamide, (Table 2, entry 20); Rf 0.24 (40% ethyl acetate, 60% n-hexane); Vmax (KBr)/cm−1: 3129 (N–H), 1379, 1178 (SO2), 596 (C–N); δH (400 MHz; CDCl3) 2.66 (2H, t, J 10 Hz), 3.09 (2H,td, J 10.8, 8 Hz), 7.67–7.86 (6Harom, 1HN–H, m), 8.01 (1Harom, d, J 8.0), 13.03 (1HN–H, br); δC (100 MHz; CDCl3) 27.6, 40.4, 120.5, 129.4, 132.1, 134.6, 134.7, 138.2, 143.4, 145.2.
N-(pyridine-2-ylmethyl)benzenesulfonamide, (Table 2, entry 21) mp 77–80 °C; Rf 0.27 (40% ethyl acetate, 60% n-hexane); Vmax (KBr)/cm−1: 3064 (N–H), 1329, 1160 (SO2), 750 (C–N); δH (400 MHz; CDCl3) 4.26 (2H, d, J 5.6 Hz), 6.60 (1HN–H, br), 7.11–7.20 (2Harom, m), 7.40–7.62 (4Harom, m), 7.81 (2Harom, d, J 7.6 Hz), 8.42 (1Harom, d, J 4.0 Hz); δC (100 MHz; CDCl3).47.1, 121.5, 125.4, 129.1, 132.1, 133.2, 140.2, 145.0, 149.0, 156.0.
1,4-bis(phenylsulfonyl)piperazine, (Table 2, entry 23) mp 260–262 °C; Rf 0.28 (40% ethyl acetate, 60% n-hexane); Vmax (KBr)/cm−1: 3166 (N–H), 1347, 1172 (SO2),576 (C–N); δH (400 MHz; CDCl3) 2.8–3.2 (8H, m), 7.51–7.62 (6Harom, m), 7.72–7.77 (4Harom, m); δC (100 MHz; CDCl3) 45.2, 127.9, 129.7, 132.6, 137.8.
N-(4-methylpyridin-2-yl)benzenesulfonamide, (Table 2, entry 24) mp 180–185 °C; Rf 0.32 (40% ethyl acetate, 60% n-hexane); Vmax (KBr)/cm−1: 3133 (N–H), 1374, 1177 (SO2), 581 (C–N); δH (400 MHz; CDCl3) 2.05 (3H, s), 6.53 (1Harom, s), 6.70 (1Harom, d, J 8.0 Hz), 7.18–7.34 (3Harom, m), 7.63 (2Harom, d, J 8.0), 8.11 (1Harom, d, J 10.5), 11.50 (1HN–H, S); δC (100 MHz; CDCl3) 21.5, 112.6, 121.2, 127.1, 129.9, 131.4, 139.6, 139.8, 151.4, 153.9.
N-(6-methylpyridin-2-yl)benzenesulfonamide, (Table 2, entry 25) mp 128–129 °C; Rf 0.34 (40% ethyl acetate, 60% n-hexane); Vmax (KBr)/cm−1: 3171 (N–H), 1371, 1171 (SO2), 1089 (C–N); δH (400 MHz; CDCl3) 2.52 (3H, s), 6.60 (1Harom, d, J 7.2 Hz), 7.11 (1Harom, d, J 9.6 Hz), 7.44–7.61 (4Harom, m), 7.95 (2Harom, d, J 7.2 Hz), 11.03 (1HN–H , s); δC (100 MHz; CDCl3) 24.0, 106.0, 119.5, 127.1, 129.9, 131.4, 138.6, 139.8, 152.5, 157.7.
N-(4-aminophenyl)benzenesulfonamide, (Table 2, entry 26) mp 168–171 °C; Rf 0.18 (40% ethyl acetate, 60% n-hexane); Vmax (KBr)/cm−1: 3431 (N–H2), 3267 (N–H), 1328, 1159 (SO2), 784 (C–N); δH (400 MHz; CDCl3) 3.67 (2HN–H,br), 6.33 (1HN–H, s), 6.54–6.57 (2Harom, m), 6.82–6.87 (2Harom, m), 7.45 (2Harom, t, J 8.0 Hz), 7.55 (1Harom, t, J 8.0), 7.71 (2Harom, d, J 8.2); δC (100 MHz; CDCl3) 118.5, 118.6, 127.2, 127.7, 129.8, 131.9, 138.6, 139.1.
N-(phenylsulfonyl)-N-(thiazol-2-yl)benzenesulfonamide, (Table 2, entry 27) mp 127–131 °C; Rf 0.48 (40% ethyl acetate, 60% n-hexane); Vmax (KBr)/cm−1: 1318,1152 (SO2), 907 (C–N); δH (400 MHz; CDCl3), 6.47 (1Harom, d, J 5.2), 7.41–7.52 (5Harom, m), 7.95 (2Harom, d, J 7.2 Hz), δC (100 MHz; CDCl3) 112.2, 127.7, 129.0, 131.9, 136.2, 138.7, 171.8.
Footnote |
† Electronic Supplementary Information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c2ra20418e/ |
This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2012 |