Breslow Intermediates from a Thiazolin-2-ylidene and Fluorinated Aldehydes: XRD and Solution-Phase NMR Spectroscopic...

The first generation and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of a crystalline Breslow intermediate (BI) derived from a thiazolin-2-ylidene, that is, the aromatic heterocycle present in vitamin B₁ , is reported. Key to success was the combined use of pentafluorobenzaldehyde and a thiazolin-2-ylidene carrying an enol-stabilizing dispersion energy donor as N-substituent. A so-called primary intermediate (PI) could be isolated in protonated form (pPI) as well and analyzed by XRD. Furthermore, the first stable BI derived from an aromatic thiazolin-2-ylidene and an aliphatic aldehyde (trifluoroacetaldehyde) was prepared and characterized by NMR spectroscopy in solution. When switching to a saturated thiazolidin-2-ylidene, reaction with pentafluorobenzaldehyde afforded a new BI in solution (NMR spectroscopy). Attempts to crystallize the latter BI resulted in the isolation of a novel thiazolidin-2-ylidene dimer that had undergone rearrangement to a hexahydro[1,4]-thiazino[3,2-b]-1,4-thiazine.