Tetrahedron 62 (2006) 95079522

Tetrahedron report number 770

Recent applications of 2,4,6-trichloro-1,3,5-triazine

and its derivatives in organic synthesis
Grzegorz Blotny*
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland Baltimore County,
1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA
Received 21 June 2006
Available online 14 August 2006

Contents
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2,4,6-Trichloro-1,3,5-triazine (CC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Applications of CC in synthesis of substituted s-triazines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CC in dendrimers synthesis and supramolecular complexes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cyanuric chloride in functional group transformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cyanuric chloride in solid-phase synthesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2-Chloro-4,6-dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazine in functional group transformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Applications of other derivatives of s-triazine in organic synthesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
References and notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Biographical sketch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1. Introduction
1,3,5-Triazine derivatives have been known for a long period
of time. They have found widespread applications in
the pharmaceutical, textile, plastic, and rubber industries,
and are used as pesticides, dyestuffs, optical bleaches, explosives, and surface active agents. The chemistry of this group

Keywords: 2,4,6-Trichloro-1,3,5-triazine; 2-Chloro-4,6-dimethoxy-s-triazine; Functional group transformations.

Abbreviations: CA, cyanuric acid; ICA, isocyanuric acid; CC, cyanuric
chloride; TCICA, trichloroisocyanuric acid; M, melamine; BNCT, boron
neutron capture therapy; TEMPO, 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl piperidine-1-oxyl;
Z, benzyloxycarbonyl; Boc, tert-butoxycarbonyl; Fmoc, 9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl; NMM, 4-methylmorpholine; DMF, dimethylformamid;
MW, microwave irradiation; DMSO, dimethylsulfoxide; PEG, polyethylene
glycol; CDMT, 2-chloro-4,6-dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazine; DMTMM, 4-(4,6dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)-4-methylmorpholinium chloride; FCDMT,
2-chloro-4,6-bis[(heptadecafluorononyl)oxy]-1,3,5-triazine; CF, 2,4,6-trifluoro-1,3,5-triazine; Trt, trityl; THF, tetrahydrofuran; TEA, triethylamine;
Py, pyridine; m-CPBA, meta-chloroperbenzoic acid; DME, 1,2-dimethoxyethane; DIPEA, diisopropylethylamine.
* Tel.: +1 410 4552564; fax: +1 410 4552608; e-mail: [email protected]
00404020/$ - see front matter 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.tet.2006.07.039

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of compounds has been studied intensively and has been the

subject of many reviews.16
Development of valuable methods for the preparation of
many substances is still a challenge. The main issues in
modern synthetic organic chemistry are selectivity, mildness, improvement of efficiency, and the avoidance of
toxic reagents and by-products. From this point of view, considerable attention has been devoted to the development
of new 1,3,5-triazine derivatives as reagents in organic
synthesis.
Because common, nonsystematic nomenclature is prevalent
in the chemical literature of triazine, it is important to briefly
review the systematic and common names of some important derivatives, which are shown in Figure 1.
All of the s-triazine derivatives that have wide practical
applications are 2,4,6-mono, di- or tri-substituted, symmetrical and nonsymmetrical compounds bearing different
substituents. The most important reagent for obtaining these
compounds is cyanuric chloride (CC), because of the

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G. Blotny / Tetrahedron 62 (2006) 95079522

Figure 1.

reactivity of its chlorine atoms toward nucleophiles. It is also

important to stress that CC is commercially available and
a very inexpensive reagent, which makes its applications
even more attractive. In this review, the synthesis of new
2,4,6-derivatives of 1,3,5-triazine together with novel applications of cyanuric chloride and its derivatives, in a variety
of synthetic transformations, will be presented. Because of
the large volume of work in this area, only the most relevant
recently published applications will be presented.
2. 2,4,6-Trichloro-1,3,5-triazine (CC)
The ease of displacement of chlorine atoms in cyanuric
chloride by various nucleophiles, in the presence of a hydrochloride acceptor (usually sodium carbonate, bicarbonate,
hydroxide or tertiary amines), makes this reagent useful
for the preparation of mono-, di- and tri-substituted 1,3,5-triazines.2 The substitution of chlorine can be controlled by
temperature to run in a stepwise manner. An empirical
rule, based upon observation, is that mono-substitution of
chlorine occurs below or at 0  C, di-substitution at room
temperature and tri-substitution above 60  C (Scheme 1).
The substitution pattern also depends on the structure of the
nucleophile, its basic strength and steric factors, the substituent already present in the s-triazine ring and the nature of
solvent used. Therefore the empirical rule given above is
just a rough guideline, and there are many variations from
these conditions. By controlling the temperature, time, and
optimization of variables, such as solvent and base, the substitution of chlorine in CC with different substituents can be
accomplished in one pot, if the correct order of addition of
nucleophiles is followed (e.g., O-nucleophiles followed by

Scheme 1.

N-nucleophiles). For example, Menicagli 7,8 achieved nearly

quantitave yields of both symmetric and nonsymmetric
mono-, di- and tri-substituted alkoxy and amino 1,3,5-triazines by nucleophilic substitution of CC in one pot in the
presence of a catalytic amount of 18-crown-6.
A new orthogonal method for solid-phase synthesis of 2,4,6trisubstituted 1,3,5-triazine was developed by Chang
et al.9,10 They attached a primary amine to an aldehyde resin
by reductive amination. This was then reacted with separately prepared mono-substituted dichloro-s-triazine. The
trisubstituted derivatives were obtained by nucleophilic reaction with an amine,9 or by a Suzuki coupling reaction
with phenylboronic acid.9 Cleavage of the resin gave the
trisubstituted product (Scheme 2) with high purity. Unfortunately, the authors did not report the yields of this
reaction.9,10
An interesting strategy based on sulfones was presented by
the same authors.11 Separately synthesized 2-benzylsulfanyl-2,6-dichloro-1,3,5-triazine was reacted with amine
bonded to the resin. After substitution of the third chlorine
atom with a primary or secondary amine, the thioether was
oxidized to benzyl sulfone generating a good leaving group.
Reaction with another amine and cleavage of the resin gave
the trisubstituted s-triazine (Scheme 3).
To avoid harsh conditions in the substitution of the last
chlorine atom by an amino group Simanek et al.12 treated
chlorotriazine with either triphenylmethylamine and diphenylmethylamine or 2,4-dimethoxybenzylamine. The substitution was accomplished in 515 min using microwave
technique. The acid labile benzylic groups were removed
by trifluoroacetic acid giving the product with high yield.

G. Blotny / Tetrahedron 62 (2006) 95079522

9509

Scheme 2.

Scheme 3.

3. Applications of CC in synthesis of
substituted s-triazines
Falorni et al.13 synthesized tri-functionalized orthogonally
protected templates 1 (Fig. 2) in a one-pot procedure, which
was used in a liquid-phase parallel synthesis.
By reacting CC with 3 equiv of p-hydroxybenzaldehyde,
Tahmassebi and Sasaki14 obtained, a triangular- tripod in

a single step 2 (Fig. 2). It was used for the imprinting of a

silica surface14 or for linking to N-terminus peptides by
reductive amination to assemble three-helix bundle proteins.15 A linear template- dipod 3 was also synthesized
using a 2,4-dichloro-6-methoxy-1,3,5-triazine with 2 equiv
of aldehyde, instead of CC.16
Gustafson,17 for the first time, incorporated a triazine ring in
carbohydrates, peptides, aminimides, and a-ketoamides by
the selective derivatization of CC in a one-pot procedure
using automated parrallel solution synthesis, e.g., 4 (Fig. 2).
Recently, the synthesis of a novel disubstituted exocyclic triazylamino nucleoside 5 (Fig. 3) library was reported using
a stepwise amination of CC on a semiautomated synthesizer.18,19 The natural mimic nucleosides were obtained as
potential antitumor and antiviral agents.
The temperature dependent reactivity of CC was exploited
for the synthesis of different kinds of calix[n]arens,20,21
e.g., 6 and 7 (Fig. 3), as well as macrocycles containing
triazine moeties linked by diamines,22 e.g., 8 (Fig. 3). Because of the presence of many hydrogen bond donors and
acceptors these compounds exhibit very promising binding
properties. CC was also used to link a calix[4]arene to a
carbohydrate natural polymer.23

Figure 2.

By stepwise amination of CC with 5-(4-aminophenyl)10,15,20-triphenylporphyrin, Carofiglio et al.24 synthesized

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G. Blotny / Tetrahedron 62 (2006) 95079522

Figure 3.

porphyrin-dyads. Similarly amination with aminoporphyrin

produced Zn(II) complex metaloporphyrin dyads like 9
(Fig. 3). CC was also used for obtaining porphyrin oligomers.25 These compounds have found various applications
like mimicking the selectivity and reactivity of enzymes,
and as material for optoelectronics.
Zerkowski26 utilized triazinyl amino acid 10 (Fig. 3) as
building block for unnatural peptide analogs, which were
obtained from CC by nucleophilic substitution with diamines and amino acid esters. The third chlorine in the
triazine ring can be used for incorporation of other functionalities, or for attachment to a solid-phase resin. Several
macrocyclic pseudopeptides were synthesized using these
derivatives.
Recently, different o-carboranyl derivatives of 1,3,5-triazine
were synthesized from CC as tumor targeting agents for
boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). One, two or three
o-carboranyl residues were incorporated into s-triazine.2729

The remaining chlorine atoms were substituted by various

amines27,28 or acids,29 e.g., 11 and 12 (Fig. 4).
A new Sharpless asymmetric ligand was synthesized using
CC, quinine, and 4-bromoaniline30 13 (Fig. 4). This new
catalyst is inexpensive, and gives a good yield and enantioselectivity in the dihydroxylation of alkenes.
The carbon nitride was synthesized by heating CC and sodium azide in benzene at 220  C, which forms high quality
nanotubes 14 (Fig. 4), by self-assembly.31
A fluorous derivative of a radical 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl piperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO) was synthesized using CC 15
(Fig. 4), which is efficient, selective, and an easily recoverable catalyst for oxidation of alcohols.32
Na-dichlorotriazinyl-arginylalkyl-amide monohydrochlorides, e.g., 16 (Fig. 4) were synthesized as new surfactants
for application as antimicrobial and antihelminthic agents

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Figure 4.

for wool and cotton, to protect these material from degradation.33

4. CC in dendrimers synthesis and supramolecular
complexes
Controlling the reaction temperature of CC with different diamines allowed Simaneks group3440 and Lai et al.41 to synthesize dendrimers, e.g., 17 (Fig. 5), even without employing
protection and deprotection processes. They have potential
applications in medicine as vehicles for drug delivery, and
in the area of electro- and optomaterials.
Triazine derivatives, such as cyanuric or isocyanuric acids
and melamines (obtained from CC), can act as both hydrogen bond donors and acceptors. The hydrogen-bonding networks that form between them are responsible for forming
supramolecular, well defined and stable aggregates. These
aggregates were first described by Lehn42 and by Whitesides.43 The noncovalently bonded assemblies can exist in
different forms, e.g., as a cyclic rosette 18 (Fig. 5), and
have been the subject of many structural studies4453 and reviews.5456 The Reinhoudt group46,52,56,57 combined synthesized calix[4] arene dimelamine with cyanuric or barbituric
acid, and studied the aggregates formed between them.
5. Cyanuric chloride in functional group transformation
In spite of the enormous number of publications devoted to
functional group transformation,58 there is still a need for

mild methods that exhibit selectivity among functional

groups, especially in the case of polyfunctional derivatives.
In the older literature, one can find examples of applications
of 2,4,6-trichloro-1,3,5-triazine in synthesis.5966 Recently
there has been a considerable growth of interest in the use
of cyanuric chloride and its derivatives in organic synthesis.
Cyanuric chloride is often used for activation of carboxylic
acids in various transformations. There is disagreement about
the initial product of the reaction of carboxylic acids with CC.
Some claim that the product is acid chloride,59,6163,67 which
was isolated and characterized in some cases. Others6872
argue that the acylated s-triazine is an intermediate, but there
is a lack of direct proof of its formation.73
Falorni68 reported that carboxylic acids, including N-protected amino acids, can be activated with CC and subsequently reduced to their corresponding alcohols with
sodium borohydride in water (Scheme 4). This method is
particularly suitable for the reduction of N-Z, N-Boc, and
N-Fmoc amino acids, and results in high yields without
racemization. The authors suggest that 2-acyloxy-4,6-dichloro-1,3,5-triazine is formed as an intermediate.
Rayle and Fellmeth70 successfully used CC for the preparation of amides, and claim that 2,4,6-triacyloxy-1,3,5-triazine
is an intermediate (Scheme 5).
A new route in the synthesis of diazo ketones was reported
by the Forbes group.71 Aryl carboxylic acids were activated
by CC, and reacted with diazomethane (Scheme 6) to diazocarbonyl compounds with moderate yields. Unfortunately,

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Figure 5.

Scheme 4.

Scheme 5.

Scheme 6.

G. Blotny / Tetrahedron 62 (2006) 95079522

G. Blotny / Tetrahedron 62 (2006) 95079522

9513

during this reaction a significant amount of methyl esters

were formed as a by-product. This reaction was carried out
in water, in a one-pot procedure, which is an advantage
over other methods.
Scheme 10.

Bandgar and Pandit72 applied CC for synthesis of acyl azides

directly from carboxylic acids (Scheme 7). Various aryl,
heteroaryl, alkylaryl, and alkyl carboxylic acyl azides were
obtained under mild conditions with high yields.

The CC/DMF complex was also used for selective protection

of primary alcohols by a formyl residue78 (Scheme 11).
Phenols, along with 2 , 3 benzylic, allylic, and propargylic

Scheme 7.

Recently, Giacomelli74 reported a mild and simple one-step

method for the preparation of hydroxamic acids. The
carboxylic acid or N-protected a-amino acid was treated
with CC in the presence of NMM followed by hydroxylamine hydrochloride (Scheme 8). Even though the reaction
took 612 h, the purity and yields were high and no significant racemization was observed. No O-acyl or di and
triacylated products were formed. Also, hydroxamic acids
of N-protected dipeptides were obtained by this method.

alcohols did not react in the given conditions. N-protected

b-amino alcohols were also converted to O-formates with
some exceptions.

Scheme 11.

Scheme 8.

2,4,6-Trichloro-1,3,5-triazine was applied as a chlorinating

agent for the preparation of sulfonyl chlorides from sulfonic
acids under neutral conditions.75 CC, sulfonic acids, and
triethylamine or CC, sodium sulfonates, and catalytic
amounts of 18-crown-6 acetone, after heating under reflux
gave, good to excellent yields of alkyl and aryl sulfonyl
chlorides (Scheme 9).

Ketoxime, upon treatment with the CC/DMF complex in

dimethylformamide at room temperature, underwent the
Beckmann rearrangement79 with high yields and purity
(Scheme 12). In the case of cyclic ketones, lactams were
obtained in high yields. Aldoximes gave nitriles under the
same conditions. Recently, other authors80 performed
a Beckmann rearrangement in acetonitrile using an acidic
cocatalyst besides CC.

Scheme 12.

Scheme 9.

Although Sandler60 used CC for the preparation of alkyl

chlorides from their corresponding alcohols, Giacomelli76
elegantly improved the reaction by using CC and a dimethylformamid adduct77 for chlorination (Scheme 10). Also, alkyl
bromides were obtained by addition of sodium bromide to
the CC/DMF adduct. The method was very mild, efficient,
and chemoselective. N-protected-b-aminochlorides were
obtained from their corresponding amino alcohols as well
as chloroalcohols from diols.

Cyanuric chloride catalyzes the oxidation of different types

of thiols to disulfides using dimethylsulfoxide, resulting in
high yields and purity.81 De Luca et al.82 used CC for activation of DMSO in the Swern oxidation (Scheme 13). A variety
of aldehydes, ketones, and N-protected amino aldehydes
were prepared with high yields.
Karimi83 reported efficient deprotection of a variety of 1,3dithioacetals and 1,3-oxathiolanes to their corresponding
carbonyl compounds using CC. The reaction conditions
were mild and time short, and the isolated products were
pure and of high yields. 1,3-Oxathioacetals and 1,3 dithioacetals of enolizable ketones gave ring enlargement product
derivatives, for example, see Scheme 14.

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Scheme 13.

(Scheme 16). A series of aliphatic and aromatic carboxylic

acids, and primary and secondary amines, gave amides
with good yields.

Scheme 14.

A very mild method for the conversion of formamides to

isonitriles using CC in the presence of a base was recently
published by Porcheddu et al.84 They postulate that the
reaction proceeds through the formation of an O-acylated
intermediate (Scheme 15).

Scheme 15.

Using microwave irradiation (MW), alkyl, cyclic, acyclic

benzylic and aromatic, and optically active isonitriles were
obtained in a matter of minutes with high yields.

A new resin supported chlorinating reagent, based on CC,

has been developed by Luo and co-workers.67 Cyanuric
chloride, loaded on a modified Wang resin, was used for
the preparation of acyl chlorides (Scheme 17). The acyl
chlorides were not isolated, but were converted to their
benzylamides or esters. The yields were good, but chiral
amino acids were racemized.
Polyethylene glycol (MeOPEGOH) was reacted with CC
to give PEG-dichlorotriazine,87 which was used as a soluble
electrophilic scavenger that removes alcohols, thiols, triphenylphosphine, and phosphine oxide from the reaction mixture by selective precipitation and filtration (Scheme 18).
Marsh88 loaded resins with s-triazine dendrimers, which
have been used as proton and nucleophile scavengers 18
and 19, respectively (Fig. 6) in the purification of combinatorially derived products.
7. 2-Chloro-4,6-dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazine
in functional group transformation

6. Cyanuric chloride in solid-phase synthesis

Solid-phase synthesis, since its discovery by Merifield,85 is
now routinely used in automated synthesizers.86 Cyanuric
chloride also found applications in solid-supported strategy.
Masala and Tadei69 loaded CC on different types of amino
functionalized resins. These new reagents were used for
activation of carboxylic acids to give amides and dipeptides

Scheme 16.

Scheme 17.

2-Chloro-4,6-dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazine (CDMT) was recently found to have wide applications as a condensing

reagent in peptide chemistry.73 It is commercially available,
but can also be easily synthesized.7,89 Activation of carboxylic acids by means of CDMT is a multi-step process,
and was elegantly and thoroughly examined by Kaminski.73,,90,,91 It depends upon the specific reaction conditions,
such as the order of addition of reagents.92 The reaction

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Scheme 18.

Figure 6.

requires the presence of a tertiary amine, usually N-methylmorpholine (NMM). In standard procedure, the first step was
reacting CDMT with NMM to form 4-(4,6-dimethoxy-1,3,5triazin-2-yl)-4-methylmorpholinium chloride (DMTMM),
and then the carboxylic acid was added in the next step generating an active ester 21 (Scheme 19), which subsequently
gave with an amine the desired product.
No significant racemization was observed during the synthesis of peptides. Optical purity was found to be more that
99.5%.73 Another sequence of addition of reagents, e.g.,
mixing CDMT with carboxylic acid and NMM, stirring for
1 h, then adding amino acid ester, lead to significant racemization via formation of azlactone.92 Another protocol was
suggested by Garrett et al.92 The reaction was provided in
a one-pot, one-step procedure, i.e., they mixed CDMT with
acid and amine reagents and then NMM to the reaction
medium. No significant loss of configuration was observed,

and the reaction was finish faster. When chiral tertiary

amines such as strychnine, brucine or sparteine were used
instead of NMM, using CDMT in coupling of racemic
N-protected amino acid with amino components, the reaction proceeds enantioselectively.91
4-(4,6-dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)-4-methylmorpholinium
chloride was isolated and fully characterized.90,93 It is a stable compound that can be stored in the solid state at room
temperature for up to a month or for several months in the
refrigerator, without detectable decomposition. This reagent
combined with carboxylic acid gave an active ester 21
(Scheme 19), and was used as condensing reagent for synthesis of esters and amides.9496
Taddei97 reported the application of DMTMM to the solidphase synthesis of peptides. The yields and purity of the
products were high.

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Scheme 19.

Recently, Kaminski et al.98 introduced 4-(4,6-dimethoxy1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)-4-methylmorpholinium tetrafluoroborate

as a more stable reagent than the corresponding DMTMM
chloride. The new coupling reagent was used in ester and
peptide synthesis, in solution, and in solid-phase synthesis.

catalyst to the corresponding aldehyde 23 (Scheme 20)

in good yields.101 Required optimization of the solvent,
hydrogen pressure, temperature, and time of reduction are
disadvantages to this method. Higher hydrogen pressure
(5 atm) gave alcohols.

DMTMM 21 (Scheme 20) can be generated by different protocols mentioned above. This active ester, without isolation
was used for many transformation of carboxylic group.

Activated esters of aromatic carboxylic acid, and N-Boc or

N-Z protected a-amino acids were converted to ketones 25
(Scheme 20) or a-amino ketones by Grignard reagent in
the presence of stoichiometric amounts of CuI.102

Giacomelli et al.99 prepared it using CDMT and applied it to

the synthesis of N-methoxy-N-methylamides, commonly
named Weinreb amides 22 (Scheme 20), a useful precursor
to ketones.100 A variety of these compounds were obtained
quantitatively from carboxylic acids, and N-protected amino
acids with high yields and purity. DMTMM was also used for
this purpose, but the yields of Weinreb amides were lower.
It was reported that active ester 21 (Scheme 20), prepared
from DMTMM was reduced by hydrogen and Pt/C as the

Scheme 20.

Bandar and Pandit103 reported the synthesis of 2-oxazolines

26 (Scheme 20) from acyloxy triazine. The active ester was
reacted at room temperature with 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol giving the desired product with good yields.
The same conditions, were used for the selective preparation
of monoacylated piperazine derivatives 27 (Scheme 20) with
good yields.104 Monoacylation of symmetrical diamines
often becomes problematic due to competitive bisacylation.

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9517

Figure 7.

Recently, active ester 21 of formic acid was used for the

formylation of amines and a-amino acid esters 28 (Scheme
20).105 The reaction was conducted under reflux in methylene chloride, or under microwave irradiation to reduce the
reaction time from hours to a few minutes. The yields
were high, the products pure and no significant racemization
of the chiral centers was observed.
Based on the reactivity of CC, Kunishima et al.106 published
preliminary data about a new immobilized dehydrocondensing reagent in a polymerized form (Fig. 7). This polymer
reacts with carboxylic acids, in the presence of a NMM
like CDMT or DMTMM, giving active esters, which with
amines, gave amides in good yields.
8. Applications of other derivatives of s-triazine
in organic synthesis
Markowicz and Dembinski developed a fluorous 2-chloro4,6-bis-[(heptadecafluorononyl)oxy]-1,3,5-triazine (FCDMT),
an analog of CDMT, as a new coupling reagent in peptide
synthesis.107 It was prepared from CC and heptadecafluorononan-1-ol (Scheme 21), and fully characterized. It is
believed that the mechanism of activation of a carboxylic
acid by FCDMT is similar to that of CDMT (Scheme 19).
The advantage of this method lies in nonaqueous and nonacidic isolation protocol. The fluorous by-product is insoluble in organic solvents. Extraction by chloroform or ethyl
acetate gave, after filtration, di and tripeptides in excellent
yields.

Scheme 22.

found less applications in organic synthesis. As a N-chloramine it was used mostly as a chlorination and oxidation
agent, and was the subject of a review where references to
its different applications can be found.111
Giacomelli applied TCICA for oxidation of primary
alcohols, and N-protected-b-amino alcohols to aldehydes
(Scheme 23).112 The reaction was fast (1520 min), yields
high, and no overoxidation to carboxylic acids was detected.
The secondary alcohols can be oxidized to ketones, but the
reaction requires more than 6 h for completion. Because of
this, primary alcohols can be selectively oxidized in the presence of secondary alcohols.
Very recently other authors113 found that TCICA in the presence of catalytic amount of potassium bromide and wet silica gel selectively oxidized benzylic and secondary alcohols.
It was reported that TCICA, in the presence of free
radical TEMPO, converts primary amines to their corre-

Scheme 21.

sponding nitriles in mild conditions and with high yields

(Scheme 23).114

2,4,6-Trifluoro-1,3,5-triazine CF (Scheme 22), with the

common name of cyanuric fluoride, was prepared from
CC.108 It easily converts carboxylic acids as well as
N-Fmoc and N-Trt amino acids, to the corresponding fluorides, which in turn gave excellent yields in both solution
and solid-phase peptide synthesis.109,110 The fluorides
were especially useful in the incorporation of sterically hindered amino acids without loss of configuration.

Frouzabadi et al.115 published that TCICA is an efficient

catalyst for the thioacetalization of aldehydes, and the transthioacetalization of O,O- and S,O-acetals (Scheme 24). The
reaction was run at room temperature and was very selective
in the presence of ketones.

1,3,5-Trichloro-2,4,6-trioxo-s-triazine, with the commonly

used name-trichloroisocyanuric acid (TCICA), is produced
on a large scale for household and industry use, but has

Zolfigol et al. recently used TCICA to oxidize 1,3,5-trisubstituted pyrazolines to their corresponding pyrazoles
(Scheme 25).116 The reaction was run at room temperature

9518

G. Blotny / Tetrahedron 62 (2006) 95079522

Scheme 23.

Scheme 28.
Scheme 24.

in carbon tetrachloride, or under solvent free conditions. In

both cases the yields were good.

Kunishima et al.120 very recently reported synthesis of new

reagents for introduction of Boc and Fmoc protective groups
into amines. By reaction of 4,6-dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazin-2-ol
(obtained from CC) with di-tert-butyl dicarbonate or with
9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate, they obtained tert-butyl
2,4-dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazinyl carbonate or 9-fluorenylmethyl 4,6-dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazinyl carbonate, respectively
(Scheme 29). Both are stable nonirritating compounds,
which allowed the introduction of Boc or Fmoc group into
amines and amino acids in the range of minutes, without
detectable side reactions.

Scheme 25.

Trichloroisocyanuric acid was also applied for N-chlorination of amides, lactams, and carbamates as intermediates
in organic synthesis.117 Primary amides gave N-mono or
N,N-dichloroamides, depending on the ratio of reagents
and the reaction conditions (Scheme 26). Chlorination of
amino acid carbamates does not need the protection of the
carboxylic function.

Scheme 29.

9. Conclusion

Scheme 26.

Carboxylic acids can be converted to acid chlorides by a reaction with TCICA in the presence of triphenylphosphine
under mild conditions.118 The acid chlorides were not isolated, but reaction with amines or alcohols afforded corresponding amides or esters (Scheme 27).
A very mild method for obtaining dialkyl chlorophosphates,
by stirring TCICA with dialkyl phosphites in acetonitrile at
room temperature was published (Scheme 28).119 The reaction was finished in 1015 min, giving products in excellent
yields.

Scheme 27.

This paper has reviewed recently published applications of

2,4,6-trichloro-1,3,5-triazine, and its related derivatives in
organic synthesis. Increased interest in CC lies in the different reactivities of chlorine atoms, which are easily controlled by temperature. It allows sequential introduction
of various substituents into a s-triazine ring using a onepot procedure. These reagents also found applications in
solid-phase synthesis by a combinatorial approach, as a template for peptides, for synthesis of dendrimers and noncovalently bonded supramolecular aggregates. Carboxylic acids
activation by CC or DMCT was used in many chemical
transformations, and can be a valid alternative to other
methods so as to avoid the use of toxic or expensive reagents. Sometimes the reactions needed hours to be completed, but these procedures have advantages over older
methods in terms of yields, mildness, and green chemistry.

G. Blotny / Tetrahedron 62 (2006) 95079522

Further applications of cyanuric chloride and its derivatives

can be expected.

Acknowledgements
Support from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland Baltimore County is gratefully acknowledged. I thank Dr. R. M. Pollack for
carefully reading the manuscript, for his critical comments,
and valuable suggestions. I also thank Ms. N. Eaton for
technical help.

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Biographical sketch

Grzegorz Blotny was born in Bydgoszcz (Poland). He studied chemistry at

Gdansk Technical University (Gdansk, Poland) and completed his PhD in
the field of peptide chemistry in 1966 with Emil Taschner and Zygmunt
Ledochowski. As faculty at Gdansk Technical University, he completed
his habilitation in 1983. During the period of 19831984, he was a visiting
scientist at N.I.H. (USA). In 1985 he moved to the University of Maryland
Baltimore County (Baltimore, USA), where he is a Research Associate
Professor. His research interests focus on peptide chemistry and the development of new methodologies in organic synthesis.