Polarographic and electrochemical studies of some aromatic and heterocyclic nitro compounds. Part III: Electroreduction of mono- and dinitropyrazoles and -imidazoles was written by Dumanovic, D.;Jovanovic, J.;Suznjevic, D.;Erceg, M.;Zuman, P.. And the article was included in Electroanalysis in 1992.Electric Literature of C4H5N3O2 This article mentions the following:
The reduction of mono- and dinitropyrazoles and of nitroimidazoles follows the general pattern of reduction of aromatic nitro compounds: the nitro group is reduced in a 4-electron step to a hydroxylamino group and the protonated form of the hydroxylamino group is – in the lower pH range – further reduced to an amine. This reduction differs from that of nitrobenzenes in participation of a 2nd hydrogen ion probably involved in protonation of the heterocyclic ring. This 2nd proton is for nitroimidazoles transferred before the uptake of the 1st electron, for nitropyrazoles probably after this uptake. The transfer of the 2nd electron is the potential determining step. The 2 sequences are H+, H+, e, H+, e, 2e, H+ and H+, e, H+, H+, e, 2e, H+, resp. For nitropyrazoles and nitroimidazoles without an alkyl substituent on the ring N, the reduction process is further complicated by the dissociation of the NH-group in the heterocyclic ring. For 1-alkyl-5-nitroimidazoles, for 4(5)-nitroimidazole and for N-unsubstituted-4- and 3(5)-nitropyrazoles (but not for 2-nitroimidazoles, 1-alkyl-4-nitroimidazoles and 1-alkylnitropyrazoles) the hydroxylamino derivative formed in the 1st 4-electron step undergoes a base catalyzed dehydration yielding a quinone-like ketimine. Easy reduction of this species results in alk. solutions in a limiting current which is significantly higher than corresponds to a 4-electron and limits to a 6-electron reduction Such dehydration reactions occur considerably faster for dihydroxylamino derivatives formed in the reduction of dinitropyrazoles resulting in 2 waves with total transfer of up to 12 electrons. In the experiment, the researchers used many compounds, for example, 1-Methyl-4-nitroimidazole (cas: 3034-41-1Electric Literature of C4H5N3O2).
1-Methyl-4-nitroimidazole (cas: 3034-41-1) belongs to imidazole derivatives. The solubility of imidazoles in ethers is lower than that in alcohols and decreases with increasing chain length of the ethers . In contrast, the solubility of benzimidazoles in alcohols (C3–C6) is higher than in water and generally decreases with a Imidazole derivatives have antibacterial, antifungal and anticancer functionality. It interacts with DNA and also binds to protein and stops cell division.Electric Literature of C4H5N3O2
Referemce:
Imidazole – Wikipedia,
Imidazole | C3H4N2 – PubChem