Reaction of N-phenyltriflamide with 1,2-dibromoethane and propargyl bromide. Unexpected cleavage of С–С and С–N bonds

Abstract

Reaction of N-phenyltriflamide with 1,2-dibromoethane under basic conditions in DMSO unexpectedly results in N-methyl-N-phenyltriflamide and 1,3-diphenylurea. The presumed reaction mechanism includes the formation of unstable intermediate disubstitution product TfN(Ph)CH₂CH2N(Ph)Tf that suffers the the С–С bond cleavage resulting in TfN(Me)Ph and N,N′-methanediylbis(N-phenyltriflamide). The latter reacts with K₂CO₃ releasing two molecules of potassium triflinate and after hydrolysis of diphenylcarbodiimide PhN=C=NPh gives 1,3-diphenylurea. With propargyl bromide, N-phenyltriflamide affords N-propargyl-Nphenyltriflamide in high yield. The bromination of the latter results in a mixture of Z,E-isomers of N-(2,3-dibromoprop-2-en-1-yl)-N-phenyltriflamide which undergo dehydrobromination giving first N-(3-bromopropanedienyl)-N-phenyltriflamide and then the products of the C–N bond cleavage: N-phenyltriflamide and 3,3-dimethoxyprop-1-yne.