TRYPTAMINES, CARBOLINES, AND RELATED COMPOUNDS: PART IX. THE CYCLIZATION OF SOME NITRO- AND AZIDO-PHENYLPYRIDINES. PYRIDO[1,2-b]INDAZOLE

Heating 2-o-nitrophenylpyridine with ferrous oxalate gives rise to pyrido[1,2-b]indazole (III). The evidence for the structure of this compound is discussed. Similarly, heating 2-o-nitrophenylpyridine methiodide and N-oxide with ferrous oxalate gives (III), in each case, demethylation and deoxygenation preceding the cyclization. In the latter case a minute amount of δ-carboline is also formed. Heating pyridine-N-oxides with ferrous oxalate is a potentially general method of effecting deoxygenations of these compounds. Contrary to the results of Smith and Boyer (11), it is found that heating 2-o-azidophenylpyridine also gives rise to (III). On the other hand, the action of heat on 2-o-azidophenyIpyridine-N-oxide gives a mixture of δ-carboline and δ-carboline-py-N-oxide in low yield. The mechanism of the cyclization of the azides and of the reaction taking place on heating nitro-compounds with ferrous oxalate is discussed briefly; the formation of a nitrene intermediate is favored.The catalytic reduction of 2-o-nitrophenylpyridine-N-oxide giving rise to the azoxy-, azo-, and hydrazo-derivatives is described and the ultraviolet absorption spectra of these compounds are discussed. It is concluded the steric inhibition of coplanarity exists in the azoxy- and azo-compounds leading to the lack of effective conjugation across the N=N bond.