BIPHENYLENES .31. CONDENSATION OF BENZOCYCLOBUTENE-1,2-DIONE WITH ALIPHATIC AND HETEROCYCLIC 1,2-DIAMINES AND THE SYNTHESIS OF CIS-2-CYANO-3-(2'-CYANOVINYL)-1,4-DIAZABIPHENYLENE

As possible routes to 1,4-diazabiphenylene and its 2,3-disubstituted derivatives we have studied the condensation of benzocyclobutene-1,2-dione (BBD) with various 1,2-diamines. Instead of giving the 1,4-diazabiphenylene ring system, BBD reacted with ethylenediamine, diaminomaleonitrile, 4,5-diaminopyrimidine, 2-aminopyridine, also 2,3- and 3,4-diaminopyridine to give, respectively, 2-o-carboxyphenylimidazolidinium acetate 4, 3,4-dicyano-2,5-dihydro[2,5]benzodiazocine-1,6-dione 10, 4-amino-5a,9b-dihydro-5-,9b-dihydroxybenzo [3',4']cyclobuta[1',2'-4,5]imidazo[1,2-c]pyrimidine 14, 5a,9b-dihydro-5a,9b-dihydroxybenzo[3',4']cyclobuta[1',2'-4,5] imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine 17, the 4-amino derivative 16 of the latter, and the zwitter ion 18 of 4-amino-3(2-carboxy-benzylideneamino) However, BBD reacted with 4,5-diaminobenzotriazole to give the expected 1,2,3,6,11-penta-aza-1-H-indeno [4,5-b]biphenylene 20, which, on amination followed by oxidation, gave a very low yield of cis-2-cyano-3-(2'-cyanovinyl)-1,4-diazabiphenylene 3. In model experiments, 7,8-diphenylfurazano [3,4-f]quinox-aline 28 was reduced to 2,3-diamino-5,6-diphenyl quinoxaline 29, which on oxidation, gave a mixture of cis- and trans-2-cyano-3-(2'-cyanovinyl)5,6-diphenylpyrazine, 30 and 31. The pentacyclic compounds, 1,3,6,II-tetra-aza-2-oxa-2H-indeno [4,5-b]biphenylene 23 and 1,3,5,10-tetra-aza-1-H-indeno[5,6-b] biphenylene 25, were formed from BBD and the appropriate 1,2-diamines but the 5-membered heterocyclic rings could not be cleaved by reduction and hydrolysis respectively) to give tetracyclic diamines which might have undergone oxidation to give derivatives of 1,4-diazabiphenylene. Compounds 14, 16, 20, 23, 25 and 28 are derivatives of new heterocyclic systems. © 1979.