Substituted 2-methylene-1,3-oxazolidines, -1,3-thiazolidines, -1,3-benzothiazines, -1,3-oxazines, and substituted imidazopyrimidinediones from Cl(CH2)nNCO and Cl(CH2)nNCS and active methylene compounds.

The reaction of omega-chloroalkyl isocyanates Cl(CH2)nNCO (n = 2 (2), 3 (4)) and isothiocyanate Cl(CH2)2NCS (3) with active methylene compounds CH2YY' 1 in the presence of Et3N or Na give 2-YY'-methylene-1,3-oxazolidines, (E,Z)-1,3-thiazolidines, and 1,3-oxazines from 2, 3, and 4, respectively. 2-(Chloromethyl)phenyl isocyanate 8 gives with 1 the corresponding benzo-oxazines. Ethyl 2-isothiocyanatobenzoate 10 gives the corresponding benzothiazolinone, whereas the analogous isocyanate 12 gives noncyclic enols. Ethoxycarbonyl isothiocyanate 14 gives an open-chain thioenol or an enol-thioamide. The cyanoamides CH2(CN)CONHR, R = H, Me, CHPh2, give with Et3N and 2 the bicyclic imidazopyrimidinediones 16, derived from two molecules of 2, but with their preformed Na salt they give the 1,3-oxazolidines. Reaction of cyanoacetamide with 3 in the presence of Na gave a tricyclic triaza(thia)indacene, derived from two molecules of 3. A reaction mechanism involving an initial attack of the anion 1- on the N=C=X (X = O, S) moiety gives an anion 18, which cyclizes intramolecularly and after tautomerization gives the mono-ring heterocycle. With the cyanoamides, the N- site of the ambident ion 18 attacks another molecule of 2 giving the anion 20, which by intramolecular attack on the CN, followed by expulsion of the Cl- gives the bicyclic 16 after tautomerization.