Oxazole

Oxazole

Full structural formula Skeletal formula with numbers
Ball-and-stick model Space-filling model
Names
IUPAC name 1,3-oxazole
Identifiers
CAS Number	288-42-6 N
ChEBI	CHEBI:35597 N
ChemSpider	8898 N
EC Number	206-020-8
Jmol 3D model	Interactive image
MeSH	D010080
PubChem	9255
InChI InChI=1S/C3H3NO/c1-2-5-3-4-1/h1-3H N Key: ZCQWOFVYLHDMMC-UHFFFAOYSA-N N InChI=1/C3H3NO/c1-2-5-3-4-1/h1-3H Key: ZCQWOFVYLHDMMC-UHFFFAOYAD
SMILES C1=COC=N1
Properties
Chemical formula	C3H3NO
Molar mass	69.06 g/mol
Density	1.050 g/cm3
Boiling point	69 to 70 °C (156 to 158 °F; 342 to 343 K)
Acidity (pKa)	0.8 (of conjugate acid)
Vapor pressure	{{{value}}}
Supplementary data page
Structure and properties	Refractive index (n), Dielectric constant (εr), etc.
Thermodynamic data	Phase behaviour solid–liquid–gas
Spectral data	UV, IR, NMR, MS
N verify (what is YN ?)
Infobox references

Oxazole is the parent compound for a vast class of heterocyclic aromatic organic compounds. These are azoles with an oxygen and a nitrogen separated by one carbon. Oxazoles are aromatic compounds but less so than the thiazoles. Oxazole is a weak base; its conjugate acid has a pKa of 0.8, compared to 7 for imidazole.

Preparation

Classical oxazole synthetic methods in organic chemistry are

• the Robinson–Gabriel synthesis by dehydration of 2-acylaminoketones
• the Fischer oxazole synthesis from cyanohydrins and aldehydes
• the Bredereck reaction with α-haloketones and formamide
• the Van Leusen reaction with aldehydes and TosMIC

Other methods are reported in literature.

• Oxazolines can also be obtained from cycloisomerization of certain propargyl amides. In one study oxazoles were prepared via a one-pot synthesis consisting of the condensation of propargyl amine and benzoyl chloride to the amide, followed by a Sonogashira coupling of the terminal alkyne end with another equivalent of benzoylchloride, and concluding with p-toluenesulfonic acid catalyzed cycloisomerization:

oxazoline from propargyl amides Merkul 2006

• In one reported oxazole synthesis the reactants are a nitro-substituted benzoyl chloride and an isonitrile:

Oxazoline Synthesis Continuous Reactor

Biosynthesis

In biomolecules, oxazoles result from the cyclization and oxidation of serine or threonine nonribosomal peptides:

File:Biosynthesis of oxazole.png

Where X = H, CH
₃ for serine and threonine respectively, B = base.
(1) Enzymatic cyclization. (2) Elimination. (3) [O] = enzymatic oxidation.

Oxazoles are not as abundant in biomolecules as the related thiazoles with oxygen replaced by a sulfur atom.

Reactions

• Deprotonation of oxazoles at C2 is often accompanied by ring-opening to the isonitrile.
• Electrophilic aromatic substitution takes place at C5 requiring activating groups.
• Nucleophilic aromatic substitution takes place with leaving groups at C2.
• Diels–Alder reactions with oxazole dienes can be followed by loss of oxygen to form pyridines.
• The Cornforth rearrangement of 4-acyloxazoles is a thermal rearrangement reaction with the organic acyl residue and the C5 substituent changing positions.
• Various oxidation reactions. One study reports on the oxidation of 4,5-diphenyloxazole with 3 equivalents of CAN to the corresponding imide and benzoic acid:

Oxazoline CAN oxidation

In the balanced half-reaction three equivalents of water are consumed for each equivalent of oxazoline, generating 4 protons and 4 electrons (the latter derived from Ce^IV).

See also

• Isoxazole, an analog with the nitrogen atom in position 2.
• Imidazole, an analog with the oxygen replaced by a nitrogen.
• Thiazole, an analog with the oxygen replaced by a sulfur.
• Benzoxazole, where the oxazole is fused to another aromatic ring.
• Pyrrole, an analog without the oxygen atom.
• Furan, an analog without the nitrogen atom.
• Oxazoline, which has one double bond reduced.
• Oxazolidine, which has both double bonds reduced.
• Oxadiazoles with two nitrogens instead of one (e.g. furazan).
• Oxazolone, an analog with a carbonyl group