Phosphorus oxybromide → 4-Bromo-2-(trifluoromethyl)quinoline

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Reaction Steps

2-Trifluoromethyl cinchoninic acid, and substituted 2-trifluoromethyl cinchoninic acids, are known plant growth regulating materials. Such compounds can be prepared, as disclosed by B. M. Pinder and A. Burger (J. Med. Chem, 11, pp 267-269 (1968)), by condensation of aniline, or a substituted aniline, with ethyl 4,4,4-trifluoroacetoacetate in the presence of polyphosphoric acid to produce a 2-trifluoromethyl-4-hydroxyquinoline from which the desired 2-trifluoromethyl cinchoninic acid can be obtained by two alternative procedures. In the first of such procedures, the 2-trifluoromethyl-4-hydroxyquinoline is brominated with phosphorus oxybromide to produce the corresponding 2-trifluoromethyl-4-bromoquinoline which is then reacted with n-butyllithium to produce a lithioquinoline which can in turn be treated with dry carbon dioxide to produce the desired 2-trifluoromethyl cinchoninic acid. In the second of such procedures, the 2-trifluoromethyl-4-hydroxyquinoline is chlorinated with phosphorus oxychloride and the resulting 2-trifluoromethyl-4-chloroquinoline is reacted with cuprous cyanide in N-methylpyrrolidone to convert it to the corresponding nitrile which is then hydrolyzed to the desired 2-trifluoromethyl cinchoninic acid. However, not only are both these procedures complex and involved, but they produce yields of only about 35% and involve the use of corrosive materials such as phosphorus oxybromide and phosphorus oxychloride as well as air- and water-sensitive materials such a butyllithium and copper cyanide.

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