
Hydrazones are a class of
organic compound
In chemistry, organic compounds are generally any chemical compounds that contain carbon- hydrogen or carbon-carbon bonds. Due to carbon's ability to catenate (form chains with other carbon atoms), millions of organic compounds are known. Th ...
s with the structure . They are related to
ketone
In organic chemistry, a ketone is a functional group with the structure R–C(=O)–R', where R and R' can be a variety of carbon-containing substituents. Ketones contain a carbonyl group –C(=O)– (which contains a carbon-oxygen double bon ...
s and
aldehyde
In organic chemistry, an aldehyde () is an organic compound containing a functional group with the structure . The functional group itself (without the "R" side chain) can be referred to as an aldehyde but can also be classified as a formyl group ...
s by the replacement of the oxygen =O with the =
functional group
In organic chemistry, a functional group is a substituent or moiety in a molecule that causes the molecule's characteristic chemical reactions. The same functional group will undergo the same or similar chemical reactions regardless of the res ...
. They are formed usually by the action of
hydrazine
Hydrazine is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a simple pnictogen hydride, and is a colourless flammable liquid with an ammonia-like odour. Hydrazine is highly toxic unless handled in solution as, for example, hydrazin ...
on ketones or aldehydes.
Synthesis
Hydrazine, organohydrazines, and 1,1-diorganohydrazines react with aldehydes and ketones to give hydrazones.
:

Phenylhydrazine reacts with reducing sugars to form hydrazones known as
osazones, which was developed by German chemist
Emil Fischer as a test to differentiate monosaccharides.
Uses
Hydrazones are the basis for various analyses of ketones and aldehydes. For example,
dinitrophenylhydrazine coated onto a
silica
Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , most commonly found in nature as quartz and in various living organisms. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is o ...
sorbent is the basis of an
adsorption
Adsorption is the adhesion of atoms, ions or molecules from a gas, liquid or dissolved solid to a surface. This process creates a film of the ''adsorbate'' on the surface of the ''adsorbent''. This process differs from absorption, in which ...
cartridge. The hydrazones are then eluted and analyzed by
HPLC
High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), formerly referred to as high-pressure liquid chromatography, is a technique in analytical chemistry used to separate, identify, and quantify each component in a mixture. It relies on pumps to pa ...
using a
UV detector.
The compound
carbonyl cyanide-''p''-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone (abbreviated as FCCP) is used to
uncouple ATP
ATP may refer to:
Companies and organizations
* Association of Tennis Professionals, men's professional tennis governing body
* American Technical Publishers, employee-owned publishing company
* ', a Danish pension
* Armenia Tree Project, non ...
synthesis and
reduction of
oxygen
Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as we ...
in
oxidative phosphorylation
Oxidative phosphorylation (UK , US ) or electron transport-linked phosphorylation or terminal oxidation is the metabolic pathway in which cells use enzymes to oxidize nutrients, thereby releasing chemical energy in order to produce adenosine t ...
in
molecular biology
Molecular biology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. The study of chemical and phys ...
.
Hydrazones are the basis of bioconjugation strategies.
Hydrazone-based coupling methods are used in medical biotechnology to couple drugs to targeted antibodies (see
ADC), e.g. antibodies against a certain type of cancer cell. The hydrazone-based bond is stable at neutral pH (in the blood), but is rapidly destroyed in the acidic environment of lysosomes of the cell. The drug is thereby released in the cell, where it exerts its function.
Reactions
Hydrazones are susceptible to hydrolysis:
:
Alkyl hydrazones are 10
2- to 10
3-fold more sensitive to hydrolysis than analogous
oximes.
When derived from hydrazine itself, hydrazones condense with a second equivalent of a carbonyl to give
azines:
:
Hydrazones are intermediates in the
Wolff–Kishner reduction.
Hydrazones are reactants in
hydrazone iodination, the
Shapiro reaction, and the
Bamford-Stevens reaction to
vinyl compounds. Hydrazones can also be synthesized by the
Japp–Klingemann reaction via β-keto-acids or β-keto-esters and aryl diazonium salts. Hydrazones are converted to
azines when used in the preparation of 3,5-disubstituted 1''H''-
pyrazole
Pyrazole is an organic compound with the formula C3H3N2H. It is a heterocycle characterized by a 5-membered ring of three carbon atoms and two adjacent nitrogen atoms, which are in ortho-substitution. Pyrazole is a weak base, with p''K''b 11.5 ( ...
s, a reaction also well known using
hydrazine hydrate. With a transition metal catalyst, hydrazones can serve as organometallic reagent surrogates to react with various electrophiles.
:
''N'',''N''-dialkylhydrazones
In ''N'',''N''-dialkylhydrazones the C=N bond can be hydrolysed, oxidised and reduced, the N–N bond can be reduced to the free amine. The carbon atom of the C=N bond can react with organometallic nucleophiles. The alpha-hydrogen atom is more acidic by 10
orders of magnitude
An order of magnitude is an approximation of the logarithm of a value relative to some contextually understood reference value, usually 10, interpreted as the base of the logarithm and the representative of values of magnitude one. Logarithmic di ...
compared to the ketone and therefore more nucleophilic. Deprotonation with for instance
LDA gives an azaenolate which can be alkylated by alkyl halides. The hydrazines SAMP and RAMP function as
chiral auxiliary.
:
Gallery
File:Benzophenone hydrazone-structure.png, Benzophenone hydrazone, an illustrative hydrazone
File:Carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazone.svg, Carbonyl cyanide ''m''-chlorophenyl hydrazone
File:Gyromitrin.svg, Gyromitrin (Acetaldehyde methylformylhydrazone), a toxin
File:Dihydralazine structure.svg, Dihydralazine
Dihydralazine is a prescription drugDihydralazine - Uses, Side Effects, Substitutes, Composition And More. (n.d.). Lybrate. Retrieved July 10, 2021, from https://www.lybrate.com/medicine/dihydralazine with antihypertensive properties. It function ...
, an antihypertensive drug
File:NERYOZ.png, X-ray structure of DNP-derived hydrazone of benzophenone. Selected parameters: C=N, 128 pm; N-N, 138 pm, N-N-C(Ar), 119 pm
See also
*
Azo compound
Azo compounds are organic compounds bearing the functional group diazenyl (, in which R and R′ can be either aryl or alkyl groups).
IUPAC defines azo compounds as: "Derivatives of diazene (diimide), , wherein both hydrogens are substituted ...
*
Imine
*
Nitrosamine
In organic chemistry, nitrosamines (or more formally ''N''-Nitrosamines) are organic compounds with the chemical structure , where R is usually an alkyl group. They feature a nitroso group () bonded to a deprotonated amine. Most nitrosamines a ...
*
Hydrogenation of carbon–nitrogen double bonds
References
{{Authority control
Functional groups