Cinnoline is an

aromatic In chemistry, aromaticity is a chemical property of cyclic ( ring-shaped), ''typically'' planar (flat) molecular structures with pi bonds in resonance (those containing delocalized electrons) that gives increased stability compared to satur ...

heterocyclic compound with the formula C₈H₆N₂. It is isomeric with other

naphthyridine Diazanaphthalenes are a class of aromatic heterocyclic chemical compounds that have the formula C8H6N2. They consist of a naphthalene double ring in which two of the carbon atoms have been replaced with nitrogen atoms. There are ten positional isom ...

s including

quinoxaline A quinoxaline, also called a benzopyrazine, in organic chemistry, is a heterocyclic compound containing a ring complex made up of a benzene ring and a pyrazine ring. It is isomeric with other naphthyridines including quinazoline, phthalazine a ...

, phthalazine and

quinazoline Quinazoline is an organic compound with the formula C8H6N2. It is an aromatic heterocycle with a bicyclic structure consisting of two fused six-membered aromatic rings, a benzene ring and a pyrimidine ring. It is a light yellow crystalline solid ...

Properties

The free base can be obtained as an oil by treatment of the

hydrochloride In chemistry, a hydrochloride is an acid salt resulting, or regarded as resulting, from the reaction of hydrochloric acid with an organic base (e.g. an amine). An alternative name is chlorhydrate, which comes from French. An archaic alternative n ...

with base. It co-crystallizes with one molecule of ether as white silky needles, (m.p. 24–25 °C) upon cooling ethereal solutions. The free base melts at 39 °C. It has a taste resembling that of

chloral hydrate Chloral hydrate is a geminal diol with the formula . It is a colorless solid. It has limited use as a sedative and hypnotic pharmaceutical drug. It is also a useful laboratory chemical reagent and precursor. It is derived from chloral (trichl ...

and leaves a sharp irritation for some time. Cinnoline derivatives are obtained from oxycinnoline carboxylic acid, which is formed by digesting orthophenyl propiolic acid diazo chloride with water. Oxycinnoline carboxylic acid on heating gives oxycinnoline, melting at 225 °C, which with

phosphorus pentachloride Phosphorus pentachloride is the chemical compound with the formula PCl5. It is one of the most important phosphorus chlorides, others being PCl3 and POCl3. PCl5 finds use as a chlorinating reagent. It is a colourless, water-sensitive and moist ...

gives chlorcinnoline. This substance is reduced by

iron filing Iron () is a chemical element with Symbol (chemistry), symbol Fe (from la, Wikt:ferrum, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 element, group 8 of the periodic table. It is, Abundance ...

s and sulfuric acid to dihydrocinnoline.

Discovery and synthesis

The compound was first obtained in impure form by cyclization of the alkyne ''o''-C₆H₄(NH₂)C≡CCO₂H in water to give 4-hydroxycinnoline-3-carboxylic acid. This material could be decarboxylated and the hydroxyl group reductively removed to give the parent heterocycle. This reaction is called the Richter cinnoline synthesis. Improved methods exist for its synthesis. It can be prepared by

dehydrogenation In chemistry, dehydrogenation is a chemical reaction that involves the removal of hydrogen, usually from an organic molecule. It is the reverse of hydrogenation. Dehydrogenation is important, both as a useful reaction and a serious problem. At ...

of dihydrocinnoline with freshly precipitated

mercuric oxide Mercury(II) oxide, also called mercuric oxide or simply mercury oxide, is the inorganic compound with the formula Hg O. It has a red or orange color. Mercury(II) oxide is a solid at room temperature and pressure. The mineral form montroydite is v ...

. It can be isolated as the

. Cinnolines are cinnoline derivatives. A classic organic reaction for synthesizing cinnolines is the Widman–Stoermer synthesis, a

ring-closing reaction A cyclic compound (or ring compound) is a term for a compound in the field of chemistry in which one or more series of atoms in the compound is connected to form a ring. Rings may vary in size from three to many atoms, and include examples where ...

of an α-vinyl-

aniline Aniline is an organic compound with the formula C6 H5 NH2. Consisting of a phenyl group attached to an amino group, aniline is the simplest aromatic amine. It is an industrially significant commodity chemical, as well as a versatile starti ...

with

hydrochloric acid Hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid, is an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride. It is a colorless solution with a distinctive pungent smell. It is classified as a strong acid Acid strength is the tendency of an acid, symbol ...

and

sodium nitrite Sodium nitrite is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula NaNO2. It is a white to slightly yellowish crystalline powder that is very soluble in water and is hygroscopic. From an industrial perspective, it is the most important nitrite ...

The sodium nitrite is first converted to

nitrous acid Nitrous acid (molecular formula ) is a weak and monoprotic acid known only in solution, in the gas phase and in the form of nitrite () salts. Nitrous acid is used to make diazonium salts from amines. The resulting diazonium salts are reagent ...

which then forms the electrophilic intermediate

dinitrogen trioxide Dinitrogen trioxide is the chemical compound with the formula N2O3. It is one of the simple nitrogen oxides. It forms upon mixing equal parts of nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide and cooling the mixture below −21 °C (−6 °F): :NO + ...

. The next intermediate is the stable nitrosamine with goes on to lose water forming the

diazonium salt Diazonium compounds or diazonium salts are a group of organic compounds sharing a common functional group where R can be any organic group, such as an alkyl or an aryl, and X is an inorganic or organic anion, such as a halide. General properti ...

which then reacts with the vinyl group in the ring-closing step. A conceptually related reaction is the

Bamberger triazine synthesis The Bamberger triazine synthesis in organic chemistry is a classic organic synthesis of a triazine first reported by Eugen Bamberger in 1892.Hassner, A., Stumer, C., ''Organic Synthesis Based on Name Reactions'': 2nd. Ed. Tetrahedron Organic Chemi ...

towards triazines. Another cinnoline method is the Borsche cinnoline synthesis.

Safety

Cinnoline is toxic.

References

{{reflist Aromatic bases

Properties

Discovery and synthesis

Safety

See also

References