Synthetic Studies on a Nonsteroidal Progesterone Metabolite: Regioselective N-Alkylation of an Activated Pyrazole

N-vinylation and N-allylation of 3,5-disubstituted pyrazoles by N–H insertion of vinylcarbenoids

A vinylcarbenoid approach toward N-functionalization of NH-pyrazoles is presented. The rhodium(II)-catalyzed reaction of methyl styryl-diazoacetate (1) or dimethyl 2-diazoglutaconate (3) with 3,5-disubstituted pyrazoles gave products of carbenoid N–H insertion in high combined yields, although regioselectivity issues posed by the pyrazole or the vinylcarbenoid moiety as well as positional and configurational isomerism concerning the C,C double bond of the latter led to product mixtures. The ambident reactivity of the vinylcarbenoid derived from 1 could be steered by the catalyst: while Rh2(OAc)4 yielded products of direct carbenoid insertion preferentially, silver(I) catalysis strongly favored reaction at the vinylogous site of the carbenoid resulting in an N-allylation of the pyrazoles.