Tetrahedron 68 (2012) 8942e8944 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Tetrahedron journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/tet Transferring oxygen isotopes to 1,2,4-benzotriazine 1-oxides forming the corresponding 1,4-dioxides by using the HOF$CH3CN complex y Julia Gatenyo a, , Kevin Johnson b, Anuruddha Rajapakse b, Kent S. Gates b, Shlomo Rozen a,* a School of Chemistry, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel b Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA article info abstract Article history: Heterocyclic benzotriazine N-oxides are an interesting class of experimental anticancer and antibacterial Received 11 May 2012 agents. Analogs with 18O incorporated into the N-oxide group may offer useful mechanistic tools. We Received in revised form 20 July 2012 18 describe the use of H2 OF$CH3CN in a fast, readily executed and high-yielding preparation of 1,2,4- Accepted 7 August 2012 benzotriazine 1,4-dioxides containing an 18O-label at the 4-oxide position. Available online 14 August 2012 Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Oxygen transfer 18O isotope Tirapazamine HOF$CH3CN F2/N2 N-oxide 18 H2 O 1. Introduction released in the form of water or hydroxyl radical.6 The 4-N-oxide in 1,2,4-benzotriazine 1,4-dioxides compounds are generally installed Heterocyclic benzotriazine N-oxides are an interesting class of via reaction of the parent heterocyclic with H2O2eacetic acid experimental anticancer1 and antibacterial therapeutic agents.2 One mixtures or peracids, such as m-chloroperbenzoic acid. These re- e of their important features is their ability to capitalize on the low actions can be sluggish and low yielding.1e g,4c,7 Furthermore, in- oxygen (hypoxic) environment found in many solid tumors. The lead troduction of 18O via those routes generally necessitates 18 18 compound in this class of potential drugs is tirapazamine: 3-amino- preparation of H2 O2 from O2, a tedious, expensive, and inefficient 3 8 18 1,2,4-benzotriazine 1,4-dioxide 2a (x¼16). Tirapazamine and re- procedure. Here we describe the use of H2 OF$CH3CN in an easy lated N-oxides undergo intracellular one-electron reduction cata- and high-yielding preparation of 1,2,4-benzotriazine 1,4-dioxides lyzed by enzymes, such as NADPH:cytochrome P450 reductase.4 In containing an 18O-label oxide at the 4-position (Scheme 1). normally-oxygenated tissue, the resulting drug radical primarily The acetonitrile complex of the hypofluorous acid HOF$CH3CN, undergoes relatively harmless back-oxidation to give the starting is readily prepared by passing dilute fluorine through aqueous compound. In contrast, under hypoxic conditions the lifetime of the acetonitrile,9 and is considered today as one of the best oxygen- drug radical is extended, enabling a decomposition reaction that transfer agents available to organic chemists.10 The oxygen atom yields a highly reactive DNA-damaging radical.5 The nature of the is a potent electrophile because it is weakly bonded to the most key DNA-damaging radical generated by the bioreductively- electronegative elementdfluorine. The complex is able to transfer activated N-oxides remains a subject of ongoing investigation.6 an oxygen atom to very deactivated double bonds11 and to very Analogs bearing isotopic-labeled oxygens in the N-oxide func- weak nucleophilic centers under mild conditions.12 Following our tional groups may provide powerful tools for elucidating the work on the oxidation of the quinoxaline system with 13 mechanism(s), by which these potential drugs generate DNA- HOF$CH3CN, we felt that this reagent could be useful for N-oxi- damaging radicals. For example, careful metabolic studies of 2 dation of the benzotriazine ring system as well. (x¼18) could shed light on whether the 4-oxide of tirapazamine is 2. Results and discussion * Corresponding author. Tel.: þ972 3 640 8378; fax: þ972 3 640 9293; e-mail address: [email protected] (S. Rozen). Indeed we found that HOF$CH3CN generated the desired 1,4- y Tel.: þ972 3 640 8378; fax: þ972 3 640 9293. dioxides (2) from the 1-oxide precursors 1 rapidly and in good 0040-4020/$ e see front matter Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tet.2012.08.017 J. Gatenyo et al. / Tetrahedron 68 (2012) 8942e8944 8943 O O large excess of the reagent probably encourages epoxidation re- actions that eventually yield the triazolone derivative 4 (Scheme 2). N F +H xO+CHCN N It should be noted that this mechanism is only a plausible specu- N 2 2 3 N lation as we have not isolated the oxaziridine byproduct (Scheme x 2), which is anticipated to be very unstable. N R H OF CH3CN N R XO O O 1 2:x=16 3:x=18 N HxOF CH CN N N 3 N a 2a 3a :R=NH2 (73%) (70%) Large excess, b:R=H 2b (70%) 3b (70%) N R fast adding N R + OH c:R=NHAc 1 x=16,18 F- d 2d :R=Me (70%) O e:R=OMe 2e (75%) N f 2f H+/H O :R=4-NO2C6H4 (90%, 30% conversion) 2 N R=H,NH2,Cl,Me 16 18 ?-HF,-ROH? p-C H NO Scheme 1. Synthesis of 1,2,4-benzotriazine 4-dioxides with O and O isotopes. N xO 6 4 2 H 4 yield. Thus 3-amino-1,2,4-benzotriazine 1-oxide (1a) was con- Scheme 2. Amidation of 1,2,4-benzotriazine 1-oxide. verted to tirapazamine (TPZ) (2a)7 in 60% yield and 1,2,4- benzotriazine 1-oxide (1b) produced 1,2,4-benzotriazine 1,4- dioxide (2b)6e in 70% yield. Somewhat improved yield of 2a (73%) The described reaction is of general nature. Treating 3-methyl- could be achieved if the reaction was performed on the acetylated 1,2,4-benzotriazine 1-oxide (1d) with the oxidizing solution pro- 15 amine 1c followed by spontaneous hydrolysis (Scheme 1). It should duced 3-methyl-1,2,4-benzotriazine 1,4-dioxide (2d) in 70% yield. be noted that with reaction times of about 2 min, the N-oxidations The strong electron donating methoxy substituent in 3-methoxy- with HOF$CH CN are much faster than any other method that has 1,2,4-benzotriazine 1-oxide (1e) provided 75% yield of 3-methoxy- 3 15 been reported.7 1,2,4-benzotriazine 1,4-dioxide (2e). Electron-withdrawing moi- eties, such as the one found in 3-(4-nitrophenyl)-1,2,4- The electrophilic oxygen in the HOF$CH3CN complex originates 18 benzotriazine 1-oxide (1f) deactivate the molecule as far as elec- from water. This should enable preparation of H OF$CH3CN from the most readily available and easy to handle precursor of 18O trophilic oxidation is concerned and while the yield of 3-(4- 18 14 nitrophenyl)-1,2,4-benzotriazine 1,4-dioxide (2f) was higher than isotopeeH2 O. Thus, passing dilute fluorine through a solution of 18 18 90% the conversion was only 30%. The remaining starting material acetonitrile and H2 O, resulted in the labeled H OF$CH3CN, which fl was then reacted with 1a or 1c. The product, identified by HRMS could be easily separated by ash-column chromatography and 16 18 recycled (Scheme 1). (APPI) m/z¼181.0609 (Mþ1) (calcd for C7H6N4 O O, 181.0611) clearly showed that 3a, labeled with 18O isotope, was obtained for the first time in comparable yield as with the common 16O isotope. 3. Conclusion The heavy oxygen in the Ne18O moiety is not readily exchanged 18 with the common 16O isotope when treated with regular water or There are many cases where it is highly desirable to have O exposed to air, enabling it to serve as a probe for metabolic studies. isotope attached to an organic molecule. It has been shown here 18 fi Reaction of 1,2,4-benzotriazine 1-oxide (1b) with H OF$CH3CN that the best, easiest, and most ef cient way to achieve such goal is 18 produced 3b having a molecular ion in HRMS (APPI) m/z¼166.0500 through H OF$ complex made readily from commercial diluted 16 18 fl 18 18 (Mþ1) (calcd for C7H5N3 O O, 166.0502). uorine, the best and cheapest source of O:H2 O and acetonitrile. The above reactions were conducted at 0 C using solutions containing 2 mol-equivalent of the oxidizing complex slowly added 4. Experimental to the various substrates in small portions. However, when a large excess of HOF$CH3CN solution was added in one portion to 1,2,4- 4.1. General benzotriazine 1-oxide (1b) at room temperature, only 3-oxo-3,4- dihydrobenzo-1,2,4-triazine 1-oxide (4) was obtained in almost 1H NMR spectra were recorded using a 200 MHz spectrometer quantitative yield. Among the common analytical methods, which with CDCl3 as a solvent and Me4Si as an internal standard. The supported this structure, one could observe a strong IR absorption proton broad-band decoupled 13C NMR spectra were recorded at À1 at 1663 cm characteristic of an amide. The same outcome was 100.5 MHz. Here too, CD3OD or CDCl3 served as a solvent and Me4Si 18 observed when 1b was reacted with H OF$CH3CN leading to the 3- as an internal standard. MS was measured under EI, or APPI oxo derivative (4) having the 18O isotope. When other substrates conditions. were treated with an excess of the reagent, the presence of the Preparation of 3-substituted 1,2,4-benzotriazine 1-oxides. Com- triazolone derivative 4 was also observed.