Novel route of the reaction of trifluoromethyl-containing N-methyl(4-ethoxyphenyl)imidazolidin-2-ones with urea

Abstract

The reactions of perfluorobiacetyl with N-(4-ethoxyphenyl)- and N-methylurea afforded cis- and trans-isomers of 1-methyl-4,5-dihydroxy-4,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)imidazolidin-2-one and 1-(4-ethoxyphenyl)-4,5-dihydroxy-4,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)imidazolidin-2-one in a yield of ∼60—75%. N-Alkyl(aryl)bis(trifluoromethyl)imidazooxazoles were obtained as unexpected products in the reaction of 1-alkyl(aryl)-4,5-dihydroxy-4,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)imidazolidin-2-ones with urea in dimethylacetamide. The reaction is accompanied by the rearrangement of imidazolidin-2-ones to N-alkyl(aryl)-5,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)hydantoins with CF₃ group migration from position 5 to position 4 of the starting heterocycle. A similar rearrangement is observed on boiling of the studied imidazolidin-2-ones in dimethylacetamide. The molecular structures of 3-(4-ethoxyphenyl)-5,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)imidazolidine-2,4-dione and 6-(4-ethoxyphenyl)-3a,6a-bis(trifluoromethyl)tetrahydroimidazo[4,5-d]oxazole-2,5-dione were studied by X-ray diffraction analysis.