HETEROCYCLE-BEARING THIO PHENOL COMPOUNDS, INTERMEDIATES FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE SAME AND PROCESSES FOR THE PREPARATION OF BOTH

Abstract: Novel thio phenol compounds bearing heterocyclic groups as the substituent, useful as intermediates for the preparation of agricultural chemicals, particularly herbicides; intermediates for the preparation of the same; and processes for the preparation of both as represented by reaction formula (I), wherein R 1 is C 1 -C 4 alkyl; R 2 is hydrogen or C 1 -C 4 alkyl; R 3 is hydrogen, cyano, amido, C 1 -C 4 alkylcarbonyl or C 1 -C 4 alkoxycarbonyl; R 4 is C 1 -C 4 alkyl; and Q is isoxazolyl or the like.

Description: The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of a novel thiophenol compound substituted with a hetero ring, which is useful as an intermediate to produce agrochemicals, particularly herbicides, an intermediate to produce the said compound, and a process for the preparation of said intermediate to produce said thiophenol compound. The thiophenol compounds substituted with hetero rings prepared according to the process of the present invention are important as intermediates to produce benzoyl pyrazole compounds with herbicidal activities, which are disclosed in, for example, WO 96/26206, WO 97/41118 and WO 97/46530. The US-A-2 443 811 describes a process for the production of thioxylenol which comprises reacting hydrogen sulfide with 3,5,5-trimethyl cyclohexen-2-one in the presence of a catalyst comprising crystalline alumina alpha monohydrate prepared by partial dehydration of crystalline alpha alumina trihydrate crystallized from alkali aluminate solutions, at a pressure between about 20 atmospheres and about 30 atmospheres at a temperature between about 450°C and about 550°C. Tetrahedron; Vol 42, No 17 1986, 4777-4786 describes a general method for the preparation of 1,5-dicarbonyl compounds and six membered ring annelation. This method involves the reaction of hemiacetal vinylogs 1 with enol ethers 2 or 3 in the presence of a Lewis acid. This reaction was successfully applied to the enol ethers of α and α,α'-hindered ketones such as 2,2,6-trimethyl cyclohexanone. With regard to reactions to synthesize cyclohexenone derivatives from enol lactones, similar to processes for the preparation of the cyclohexenone compounds of the present invention, for example, a reaction of an enol lactone with a lithioacetate (Reaction Scheme A below) is described in Tetrahedron Letters 31 , 3421 (1990) and a reaction between an enol lactone and a Grignard reagent (Reaction Scheme B below) in J. Org. Chem. 54 , 4704 (1989). There are, however, no reports on direct reactions between enol lactones and nitrogen containing hetero ring compounds such as isoxazole. It is an object of the present invention to provide novel thiophenol compounds substituted with hetero rings, which are useful as intermediates to produce agrochemicals and medicines, particularly compounds with herbicidal activities, intermediates to prepare them, and simpler and more economically advantageous processes for the preparation of thiophenol compounds substituted with hetero rings, which require multistage processes. The present invention relates to: 1. A process for the preparation of thiophenol compounds substituted with hereto rings represented by Formula (1) [wherein R 1 is C 1-4 alkyl; R 2 is hydrogen or C 1-4 alkyl; R 3 is hydrogen, cyano, amide, C 1-4 alkylcarbonyl or C 1-4 alkoxycarbonyl; R 4 is C 1-4 alkyl; and Q is the following Q1, Q2 or Q3 (wherein r 1 to r 9 are, each independently, hydrogen or C 1-4 alkyl, or r 3 and r 5 may join to form a bond)]; and the process for the preparation of thiophenol compounds substituted with hetero rings, represented by the above Formula (1) is characterized in reacting a cyclohexenone compound of the above Formula (2) with an alkane thiol of Formula R 4 SH (wherein R 4 is as defined above) to give a compound represented by Formula (3) (wherein R 1 to R 4 and Q are as defined above; n is 0, 1 or 2; and the compound of Formula (3) is either a compound of the following Formula (3-1), (3-2), (3-3) or (3-4)) followed by dehydrogenation; 2. cyclohexenone compounds, intermediates to produce the said compounds, represented by Formula (2) (wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and Q are as defined above); 3. compounds represented by Formula (4) (wherein R 1 to R 3 are as defined above; and R 5 is hydrogen, cyano, C 1-4 alkylcarbonyl or C 1-4 alkoxycarbonyl); 4. processes for the preparation of compounds represented by the above Formula (4), characterized in reacting an enol lactone of Formula (5) (wherein R 1 to R 3 are as defined above) with a compound of Formula Q-CH 2 R 5 (wherein Q and R 5 are as defined above); and 5. processes for the preparation of cyclohexenone compounds represented by the above Formula (2), characterized in reacting an acid or a base on a compound of the above Formula (4). An outline of the present invention may be represented by the following reaction scheme: (wherein R 1 to R 5 , n and Q are as defined above). The present invention is further described in detail in the following. Implementation of the Invention: In the definitions of the compounds represented by the above Formulae (1), (2), (3), (4) and (5), R 1 is C 1-4 alkyl such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, isobutyl, s-butyl and t-butyl; R 2 is hydrogen, or C 1-4 alkyl such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, isobutyl, s-butyl and t-butyl; R 3 is hydrogen, cyano, amide, C 1-4 alkylcarbonyl such as acetyl, propionyl, butyryl, isobutyryl, valeryl, isovaleryl and pivaloyl, or C 1-4 alkoxycarbonyl such as methoxycarbonyl, ethoxycarbonyl, propoxycarbonyl, isopropoxycarbonyl, butoxycarbonyl, isobutoxycarbonyl, s-butoxycarbonyl and t-butoxycarbonyl; R 4 is C 1-4 alkyl such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, isobutyl, s-butyl and t-butyl; Q is either a group of the following Q1, Q2 or Q3 wherein r 1 to r 9 are, each independently, hydrogen, or C 1-4 alkyl such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, isobutyl, s-butyl and t-butyl. r 3 and r 5 may join to form a bond. Of them, r 1 to r 9 are more preferably hydrogen, methyl or ethyl. More preferred hetero rings represented by Q include isooxazolyl groups such as isooxazol-3-yl, 4-methyl-isooxazol-3-yl, 5-methyl-isooxazol-3-yl, 4,5-dimethylisooxazol-3-yl, 4-ethyl-isooxazol-3-yl, 5-ethyl-isooxazol-3-yl, 4,5-diethylisooxazol-3-yl, isooxazol-5-yl, 3-methyl-isooxazol-5-yl, 4-methyl-isooxazol-5-yl, 3,4-dimethylisooxazol-5-yl, 3-ethyl-isooxazol-5-yl, 4-ethyl-isooxazol-5-yl and 3,4-diethylisooxazol-5-yl; isooxazoline groups such as isooxazolin-3-yl, 4-methyl-isooxazolin-3-yl, 5-methyl-isooxazolin-3-yl, 4-ethyl-isooxazolin-3-yl and 5-ethyl-isooxazolin-3-yl; and pyrazolyl groups such as pyrazol-3-yl, 1-methylpyrazol-3-yl, 1-ethylpyrazol-3-yl, 1-propylpyrazol-3-yl and 1,5-dimethylpyrazol-3-yl. The processes according to the present invention may be carried out as follows: (Process 1) Process for the preparation of a thiophenol compound substituted with a hetero ring represented by Formula (1) (wherein R 1 to R 4 , n and Q are as defined above). The process is to obtain a compound of (1) by S-alkylating a compound of Formula (2) to give an intermediate (3), followed by a dehydrogenation reaction. The S-alkylation reaction is carried out by dissolving a cyclohexenone compound substituted with a hetero ring (2) in an appropriate inert solvent, and reacting it with 1 to 5 equivalents of alkane thiol at temperature between -20°C and the boiling point of the solvent used. This reaction may proceed more smoothly by adding 0.01 to 2 equivalents of a compound including acids such as p-toluenesulfonic acid and sulfuric acid or Lewis acids such as aluminum chloride, zinc chloride and boron trifluoride etherate. Solvents that may be used for this reaction include alcohols such as methanol and ethanol; halogenated hydrocarbons such as methylene chloride, chloroform and chlorobenzene; hydrocarbons such as n-hexane, benzene and toluene; and ethers such as tetrahydrofuran (THF) and dimethoxyethane. The next dehydrogenation reaction is carried out by dissolving a cyclohexene derivative or cyclohexane derivative (3) in an appropriate solvent and dehyrogenating it in the presence of a dehydrogenating agent at temperature between -10°C and the boiling point of the solvent used. Dehydrogenating agents used for the dehydrogenation reaction include quinones such as 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone (DDQ) and tetrachloro-1,4-benzoquinone; halogens such as chlorine and bromine; halogenated imides such as N-chlorosuccinimide and N-bromosuccinimide; oxidizing agents such as manganese dioxide and nickel peroxide, or sulfur and sulfur coexisting with dimethyl sulfoxide. Proper solvents used include hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene and mesitylene; halogenated hydrocarbons such as chloroform and chlorobenzene; sulfur containing compounds such as dimethyl sulfoxide and sulfolane; alcohols such as ethanol and ethylene glycol; ethers such as ether and THF; and acetic acid. (Process 2) Process for the preparation of a cyclohexenone compound of Formula (2) from an enol lactone compound represented by Formula (5) (wherein R 1 to R 3 , R 5 and Q are as defined above.) A compound (2) of the present invention can be produced by that an enol lactone (5) and a hetero-ring derivative (6) are reacted in an inert solvent at temperature between 0°C and the boiling point of the solvent used in the presence of a base, and the obtained compound (4) is treated with a base or an acid for a cyclization reaction with the elimination of R 5 group. When a hetero-ring derivative (6) where R 5 is hydrogen is used, a compound (2) of the present invention can be produced without isolating a compound (4) by that the derivative (6) is reacted with a strong base such as n-butyl lithium, lithium diisopropylamide or potassium t-butoxide at temperature between -78°C and the boiling point of the solvent used, followed by the reaction with an enol lactone (5). This reaction may finish more smoothly and in a shorter time when an additive such as tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA) or hexamethylphosphortriamide (HMPA) is present in the reaction system. Solvents used in the above reaction to obtain the compound (4) include hydrocarbons such as n-hexane, benzene and toluene; halogenated hydrocarbons such as dichloromethane, chloroform and monochlorobenzene; ethers such as THF, diethyl ether and dimethoxyethane; alcohols such as t-butanol and isopentyl alcohol; amides such as DMF, N-methylpyrolidone and N,N-dimethylimidazolyl-2-one (DMI); and sulfur-containing ethers such as DMSO; and nitriles such as acetonitrile. They may be used alone or as a mixed solvent of two or more. Bases used in the reaction include alkali metal hydroxides such as sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide; alkaline earth metal hydroxides such as calcium hydroxide and magnesium hydroxide; alkali metal carbonates such as potassium carbonate and cecium carbonate; alkaline earth metal carbonates such as calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate; metal alcolates such as sodium methylate and potassium t-butoxide; metal hydrides such as sodium hydride; and organic bases such as triethylamine, diisopropylethylamine, pyridine, 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU). A preferred amount of a base used is 0.1 to 5 times in mole to the reaction substrate. The reaction may finish more smoothly and in a shorter time by adding quaternary ammonium salts such as triethylbenzyl ammonium chloride or crown ethers such as 18-crown-6. For the latter reaction to give the compound (2), the solvents and bases exemplified for the first reaction may be preferably used. For example, when a compound (6) where R 5 is an alkylcarbonyl group is used, the aforementioned bases are used. It is preferable to carry out the reaction in the presence of a base including amines such as triethylamine and pyridine and metal alcolates such as sodium methylate and potassium t-butoxide, so that a cyclization reaction proceeds simultaneously with deacylation to give a compound (2) of the present invention. This reaction is favorably carried out at temperature between 0°C and the boiling point of the solvent used. When a compound (6) where R 5 is a cyano or alkoxycarbonyl group is used, it is hydrolyzed with an acid such as hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid or a base exemplified for the first reaction, and then a decarboxylation reaction followed by a cyclization reaction gives a compound (2) of this invention. Enol lactones represented by Formula (5) may be synthesized by, for example, a reaction between a ketocarboxylic acid and thionyl chloride in benzene as described in J. Org. Chem. 50 , 4105-4107 (1985), or a reaction between an acid chloride of ketocarboxylic acid and sodium hydrogen carbonate as described in J. Org. Chem. 55 , 157-172 (1990), or the like. The compounds and intermediates and others of the present invention may be obtained with ordinary post-treatments after the completion of the reactions. The structures of the compounds, intermediates and others of the present invetnion were determined by such means as IR, NMR and MS. Best Form to Implement the Invention: The present invention is further described in detail with Examples and Reference Examples. Example 1 Preparation of 3-methyl-5-(2-methyl-6-methylthiophenyl)isoxazole [Compound (1)-1] 4.0g (20.9 mmol) of 3-methyl-2-(3-methylisooxazol-5-yl)-2-cyclohexen-1-one was dissolved in 60 ml of chloroform, and 0.84g (6.3 mmol) of aluminum chloride was added. The resulting solution was cooled down to -5°C and 3.0g (62.7 mmol) of methanethiol was blown into it, followed by stirring for a whole day and night at room temperature. The reaction solution was poured into 2N hydrochloric acid. The chloroform layer was washed with water, dehydrated over anhydrous magnesium sulfate and concentrated to give 6.1g of a mixture of 6,6-dimethylthio-2-methyl-1-(3-methylisooxazol-5-yl)-1-cyclohexene [Compound (3)-1] and 2,6-dimethylthio-2-methyl-1-(3-methylisooxazol-5-yl)-6-cyclohexene [Compound (3)-2]. NMR data of Compound (3)-1: 1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 , δ ppm): 1.57 (s, 3H), 1.90-2.25 (m, 6H), 1.98 (s, 6H), 2.31 (s, 3H), 6.11 (s, 1H) NMR data of Compound (3)-2: 1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 , δ ppm): 1.31 (s, 3H), 1.80 (m, 2H), 1.90-2.20 (m, 2H), 1.99 (s, 3H), 2.19 (s, 3H), 2.34 (s, 3H), 2.42 (m, 2H), 6.12 (s, 1H) 6.1g of the obtained mixture of the dimethylthio compounds was dissolved in 100 ml of chloroform, into which a solution of 4.0g (25.0 mmol) of bromine in 15 ml of chloroform was dropped with stirring at room temperature. After the completion of the dropping, the solution was further stirred for 3 hours at room temperature. The reaction solution was washed with an aqueous solution of sodium thiosulfate and then with water, dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate and concentrated. The obtained crude product was purified on silica gel column chromatography to give 3.7g of the title compound as a colorless liquid. Boiling point: 121-122°C/0.2 mmHg. Example 2 Preparation of 3-methyl-5-(2-methyl-6-methylthiophenyl)isoxazole [Compound (1)-1] 0.50g of a mixture of the dimethylthio compounds obtained in the same way as that in Example 1 and 0.15g of dimethyl sulfoxide were dissolved in 5 ml of xylene, and 0.065g of sulfur was added. The resulting solution was heated at reflux for 18 hours. After cooling, the reaction solution was concentrated under reduced pressure. The obtained crude product was purified on silica gel column chromatography to give 0.21g of the title compound as a colorless liquid. Example 3 Preparation of 3-methyl-5-(2-methyl-6-methylthiophenyl)isoxazole [Compound (1)-1] 0.40g of a mixture of the dimethylthio compounds obtained in the same way as that in Example 1 was dissolved in 7 ml of xylene, and 0.55g of tetrachloro-1,4-benzoquinone was added. The resulting solution was heated at reflux for 2 hours. After cooling down, the reaction solution was washed with a 1N aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide. The organic layer was washed with saturated salt water and dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate. The solvent was removed by distillation under reduced pressure to give 0.24g (purity: 92%) of the title compound as a liquid. Example 4 Preparation of ethyl 2-methyl-3-(3-methylisooxazol-5-yl)-4-methylthiobenzoate [Compound (1)-2] 1.0g (purity: 61.5%) of 4-ethoxycarbonyl-2-(3-methylisooxazol-5-yl)-3-methyl-2-cyclohexen-1-one was dissolved in 20 ml of chloroform, and 0.09g of aluminum chloride was added. The resulting solution was cooled to below 0°C and 60 ml of methanethiol was introduced into it using a float meter. After returning to room temperature, the solution was stirred for 15 hours. The reaction solution was poured into cold water and 5 ml of 2N hydrochloric acid was added to separate. The chloroform layer was washed with water, dehydrated over anhydrous magnesium sulfate and concentrated. The obtained crude product was purified on silica gel column chromatography to give 0.56g of ethyl 4,4-dimethylthio-2-methyl-3-(3-methylisooxazol-5-yl)-2-cyclohexene carboxylate [Compound (3)-3] as a light yellow liquid. NMR data of Compound (3)-3: 1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 , δ ppm): 1.30 (t, 3H), 1.63 (s, 3H), 1.80 (m, 2H), 2.04 (s, 3H), 2.07 (s, 3H), 2.05-2.15 (m, 2H), 2.25-2.35 (m, 2H), 2.34 (s, 3H), 3.14 (m, 1H), 4.21 (q, 2H), 6.19 (s, 1H) 0.55g of ethyl-4,4-dimethylthio-2-methyl-3-(3-methylisooxazol-5-yl)-2-cyclohexene carboxylate obtained above was dissolved in 10 ml of chloroform, into which a solution of 0.28g of bromine in 1 ml of chloroform was dropped at room temperature. Gas generation was observed simultaneously with dropping. After the completion of the dropping, the solution was further stirred for an hour at room temperature. The reaction solution was poured into cold water and extracted with chloroform. The extract chloroform layer was washed with water, dehydrated over anhydrous magnesium sulfate and concentrated. The obtained crude product was purified on silica gel column chromatography to give 0.37g of the title compound as white crystals. Melting point: 72-74°C. Example 5 Preparation of 2-(3-methylisooxazol-5-yl)-3-methyl-2-cyclohexen-1-one [Compound (2)-1] 4.75g of TMEDA was dissolved in 10 ml of THF, and 3.3g of 3,5-dimethylisoxazole was added. The resulting solution was cooled to -78°C in a dry ice-acetone bath, and 26 ml of an n-hexane solution of n-butyl lithium (1.6M solution) was dropped into it. They were reacted at the same temperature for 30 minutes, and then, at -78°C, a solution of 1.90g of 3,4-dihydro-6-methyl-2H-pyran-2-one and 5 ml of DMSO in 10 ml of THF was dropped. The resulting solution was stirred at the same temperature for 2 hours. The dry ice-acetone bath was taken away. After gradually returning to room temperature, the solution was stirred for 15 hours. The reaction solution was poured into dilute hydrochloric acid-ice and extracted with ethyl acetate. The organic layer was washed with water and then with saturated salt water, and dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate. The solvent was concentrated under reduced pressure. The obtained residue was purified on silica gel column chromatography to give 1.10g of the title compound as white crystals. Melting point: 104-105°C. Example 6 Preparation of 3-methylisooxazol-5-yl-2,4,8-nonanetrione [Compound (3)-1] 1.39g of 5-acetonyl-3-methylisoxazole, 1.68g of 3,4-dihydro-6-methyl-2H-pyran-2-one and 3.42g of cecium carbonate were added to 20 ml of acetonitrile to heat at reflux for 3 hours. After returning to room temperatrure, the reaction solution was poured into 100 ml of ice water with hydrochloric acid added, and extracted with ethyl acetate. The organic layer was washed with water and then with saturated salt water, and dried over magnesium sulfate. The solvent was concentrated under reduced pressure. The obtained crude product was purified on silica gel column chromatography to give 2.03g of the title compound as a colorless viscous liquid. 1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 , δ ppm): 1.83 (m, 2H), 2.01 (s, 3H), 2.10 (s, 3H), 2.28 (t, 2H), 2.33 (s, 3H), 2.44 (t, 2H), 6.06 (s, 1H), 16.98 (s, 1H) Example 7 Preparation of 2-(3-methylisooxazol-5-yl)-3-methyl-2-cyclohexen-1-one [Compound (2)-1] 1.2g of 3-methylisooxazol-5-yl-2,4,8-nonanetrione obtained in Example 6 was dissolved in 15ml of ethanol, and 0.53g of triethylamine was added to it to stir at reflux for 8 hours. After cooling, the reaction solution was poured into ice water, acidified with hydrochloric acid and extracted with ethyl acetate. The ethyl-acetate layer was washed with water, dehydrated over anhydrous magnesium sulfate, and concentrated. The obtained residue was purified on silica gel column chromatography to give 0.36g of the title compound as white crystals. Melting point: 104-105°C. Example 8 Preparation of ethyl 2-acetyl-5,7-dioxo-6-(3-methylisooxazol-5-yl)octanoate [Compound (3)-2] 16.44g of 5-acetonyl-3-methylisoxazole was dissolved in 300 ml of acetonitrile, and a solution of 28.30g of 5-ethoxycarbonyl-3,4-dihydro-6-methyl-2H-2-one in 30 ml of acetonitrile and 40.47g of cesium carbonate were added to it to stir for 2 hours at room temperature. Water was added to the reaction solution. The resulting solution was acidified with 2N hydrochloric acid and extracted with ether. The aqueous layer was further extracted with ethyl acetate. The obtained organic layers were combined and dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate. The solvents were removed by distillation. The residue was purified on silica gel column chromatography to give 29.80g of the title compound as a light yellow liquid. 1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 , δ ppm): 1.24 (t, 3H), 2.03 (s, 3H), 2.13 (m, 2H), 2.24 (m, 4H), 2.31 (s, 3H), 2.34 (t, 1H), 4.18 (q, 2H), 6.07 (s, 1H), 16.91 (s, 1H) Example 9 Preparation of 4-ethoxycarbony-2-(3-methylisooxazol-5-yl)-3-methyl-2-cyclohexen-1-one [Compound (2)-2] 0.85g of the obtained ethyl 2-acetyl-5,7-dioxo-6-(3-methylisooxazol-5-yl)octanoate was dissolved in 5 ml of methanol and 0.32g of triethylamine was added. The resulting solution was stirred at room temperature for 2 hours and then heated at reflux for 3 hours. After cooling, water was added to the reaction solution to extract with ethyl acetate. The organic layer was washed with saturated salt water and dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate. The solvent was removed by distillation. The obtained residue was purified on silica gel column chromatography to give 0.27g of the title compound as a colorless liquid. 1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 , δ ppm): 1.31 (t, 3H), 2.13 (s, 3H), 2.33 (s, 3H), 2.4 (m, 2H), 2.6 (m, 2H), 3.50 (m, 1H), 4.25 (q, 2H), 6.30 (s, 1H) Reference Example 1 Preparation of 5-acetonyl-3-methylisoxazole Into a 2L flask filled with nitrogen were placed 1000 ml of anhydrous THF and 500 ml of a 1.6M n-hexane solution of n-butyl lithium. The flask was placed in a dry ice-acetone bath to set the inside temperature to -70°C, and 68.0g of 3,5-dimethylisoxazole was slowly dropped in the flask. After the resulting solution was stirred for 30 minutes at the same temperature, a solution of 120.0g of dimethylacetamide in 300 ml of THF was slowly dropped. After the completion of the dropping, the solution was further stirred for an hour at -60°C to -65°C. The reaction solution was poured into 1L of ice water acidified with hydrochloric acid. The organic layer was separated. The aqueous layer was further extracted with ethyl acetate. The obtained organic layers were combined and concentrated under reduced pressure. The obtained concentrate was dissolved in 500 ml of ethyl acetate, washed with water and then with saturated salt water, and dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate. The solvent was removed by distillation. The residue was purified by distillation under reduced pressure to give 68.5g of the title compound as a colorless liquid. Boiling point: 85°C/1.0 mmHg. Reference Example 2 Preparation of 5-acetonyl-3-methylisoxazole 9.70g of 5-hydroxy-3-methyl-4-(3-methylisooxazol-5-yl)isoxazole was added to 18 ml of acetic acid and 30 ml of methanol, and was heated to 60°C to dissolve. To the resulting solution was added 3.20g of electrolytic iron powder to stir for an hour at 60°C. 20 ml of 3N hydrochloric acid was further added to the reaction solution to stir for 20 minutes at 60°C. The reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature and water was added. The mixture was extracted with ethyl acetate. The organic layer was washed with saturated salt water, dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate and concentrated to give 6.00g of the title compound as a reddish brown liquid. Reference Example 3 Preparation of 5-acetonyl-3-methylisoxazole 208g of a 50% aqueous hydroxylamine solution and 91 ml of 28% aqueous ammonia were added to 350 ml of water, into which 348g of methyl acetoacetate was dropped over 50 minutes at temperature below 15°C. After the completion of the dropping, the reaction solution returned to room temperature and stood undisturbed for 6 days to give 900 ml of an aqueous solution of crude ammonium salt of 5-hydroxy-3-methyl-4-(3-methylisooxazol-5-yl)isoxazole. Then, 600 ml of 6N hydrochloric acid and 300 ml of toluene were mixed to heat to 80°C and 39.0g of electrolytic iron powder was added, and 300 ml of the aqueous solution of crude ammonium salt of 5-hydroxy-3-methyl-4-(3-methylisooxazol-5-yl)isoxazole obtained above was dropped over 30 minutes at 80°C. The solution was further stirred for 30 minutes at the same temperature. The reaction solution was cooled to room temperature. The toluene layer was separated. The aqueous layer was further extracted with ethyl acetate. The organic layers were combined, washed with saturated salt water and then with aqueous sodium bicarbonate, and dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate. The solvents were removed by distillation under reduced pressure. The residue was distilled under reduced pressure to give 28.0g of the title compound as a light yellow liquid. Boiling point: 98°C/2 mmHg. Reference Example 4 Preparation of 5-ethoxycarbonyl-3,4-dihydro-6-methyl-2H-pyran-2-one 55.2g of monoethyl 2-acetylglutarate was dissolved in 500 ml of methylene chloride, and 52.06g of oxalyl chloride and 5 drops of DMF were added at 0°C. They were reacted for 2 hours at room temperature. 500 ml of methylene chloride was added to the obtained acid-chloride solution, and, at temperature below 10°C, 33.12g of triethylamine was dropped. They were reacted for an hour at room temperature. The reaction solution was washed with water, with an aqueous solution of sodium hydrogen carbonate and then with saturated salt water, and dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate. The solvent was removed by distillation. The obtained residue was purified by distillation under reduced pressure to give 29.30g of the title compound as a colorless liquid. Boiling point: 130-150°C/17 mmHg. Representative examples of the compounds of Formula (1) prepared according to the present invention, including those in the above examples, are shown in table 1, those of Formula (2) in Table 2, and those of Formula (4) in Table 3. Applicability in Industry As described above, the novel thiophenol compounds prepared according to the present invention substituted with hetero rings, are useful as intermediates for agrochemicals and medicines and intermediates to produce them. With the use of easily available enol lactone derivatives as starting materials, the processes of this invention can produce the cyclohexenone compounds and thiophenol compounds substituted with hetero rings of the present invention simply, in high yield and at low cost. These compounds are useful as intermediates to produce medicines and agrochemicals, particularly as intermediates for compounds with herbicidal activities. For example, pyrazole derivatives with herbicidal activities, described in WO 97/41118 and others, may be produced by using the compounds (represented by Formula (1)) of the present invention as intermediates, as shown in the following reaction scheme.

Claims: A process for the preparation of thiophenol derivatives substituted with a hetero ring, represented by Formula (1) [wherein R 1 is C 1-4 alkyl; R 2 is hydrogen or C 1-4 alkyl; R 3 is hydrogen, cyano, amide, C 1-4 alkylcarbony or C 1-4 alkoxycarbonyl; R 4 is C 1-4 alkyl; Q is the following Q1, Q2 or Q3 (wherein r 1 to r 9 are, each independently, hydrogen or C 1-4 alkyl, or r 3 and r 5 may join to form a bond)] characterized in that a compound of Formula (2) (wherein R 1 to R 3 and Q are as defined above) is reacted with an alkane thiol of Formula R 4 SH (R 4 is as defined hereabove) to give a compound of Formula (3) (wherein R 1 to R 4 and Q are as defined above, n is 0, 1 or 2, and the compound of Formula (3) is either a compound of the following Formula (3-1), (3-2), (3-3) or (3-4)) followed by dehydrogenation. A cyclohexenone derivative represented by Formula (2) (wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and Q are as defined in Claim 1). A compound represented by Formula (4) (wherein Q and R 1 to R 3 are as defined in claim 1, and R 5 is hydrogen, cyano, C 1-4 alkylcarbonyl or C 1-4 alkoxycarbonyl). A process for the preparation of a compound of Formula (4) (wherein R 1 to R 5 and Q are as defined in claim 3), characterized in that an enol lactone of Formula (5) (wherein R 1 to R 3 are as defined in claim 3) is reacted with a compound of Formula Q-CH 2 R 5 (wherein Q and R 5 are as defined in claim 3). A process for the preparation of a compound of Formula (2) (wherein R 1 to R 3 and Q are as defined in claim 1), characterized in that an acid or a base is reacted on a compound of Formula (4) (wherein R 1 to R 3 , and Q are as defined in claim 1), and R 5 is as defined in claim 3. Use of a novel thiophenol derivative substituted with a hetero ring prepared according to the process of claim 1 and represented by Formula (1) [wherein R 1 is C 1-4 alkyl; R 2 is hydrogen or C 1-4 alkyl; R 3 is hydrogen, cyano, amide, C 1-4 alkylcarbony or C 1-4 alkoxycarbonyl; R 4 is C 1-4 alkyl; Q is the following Q1, Q2 or Q3 (wherein r 1 to r 9 are, each independently, hydrogen or C 1-4 alkyl, or r 3 and r 5 may join to form a bond)] as intermediates for producing medicines, and agrochemicals, especially compounds with herbicidal activities.

Inventors: ADACHI HIROYUKI, AIHARA TOSHIO, SAGAE TAKAHIRO, ADACHI, HIROYUKI, AIHARA, TOSHIO, SAGAE, TAKAHIRO, ADACHI, Hiroyuki Nippon Soda Co., Ltd., AIHARA, Toshio Nippon Soda Co., Ltd., SAGAE, Takahiro Nihongi Pl., Nippon Soda Co., Ltd.
Applicants: NIPPON SODA CO, NIPPON SODA CO., LTD.
Application year: 1999
Main classification: C07D261
IPC codes: C07D231, C07D261