Synthesis and antibacterial activity of some new diarylsulphides and diarylsulphones containing azetidin‐2‐one and/or diazetidin‐2‐onyl moities

Cyclonucleophilic addition of N-phthaloylaminoacid chlorides (II on 4-(N-ary-lideneamino)-4′-nitrodiphenyl sulphides (I) in dioxane and triethylamine afforded 4-(4″-aryl-3″-phthalylamino-2″-oxo-azetidin-1″-yl)-4′-nitro-diphenyl sulphides (III). Hydrazinolysis of III yielded 4-(4″-aryl-3″-amino-2″-oxo-azetidin-1″-yl)-4′-nitro-diphenyl sulphide hydrochlorides (IV). Condensation of IV with anisaldehyde using ethanol and piperidine as a basic catalyst gave 4-(4″-aryl-3″-anisylidine amino-2″-oxoazetidin-1″-yl)-4′-nitrodiphenylsulphides (V) in good yields. Interaction of V with chloroacetyl chloride in dioxane and triethylamine produced 4-(4″-aryl-3″-substituted β-lactamyl-2″-oxo-azetidin-1″-yi)-4′-nitrodiphenyl sulphides VI. Oxidation of IV, V and VI using hydrogen peroxide/glacial acetic acid mixtures gave the corresponding sulphones (VII), (VIII) and (IX). Sulphones of the type IX were obtained by unequivocal synthesis through interaction of sulphone-anils VIII with chloroacetyl chloride. The antibacterial activities of some of these compounds were determined.