Enaminonitriles in Heterocyclic Synthesis: A Route to 1,3-Diaryl-4-aminopyrazole Derivatives

Benzylcyanide and 4-nitrobenzylcyanide condensed with triethyl orthoformate and piperidine or morpholine to yield 2-aryl-2-piperidinyl or 2-morpholinylacrylonitriles. These coupled with aromatic diazonium salts to yield the 2-arylhydrazno-2-arylethane nitriles in good yields. The latter were converted into 4-aminopyrazoles in good yields using the Thorpe-Ziegler cyclization.