Conversion of 4‐amino‐4 H ‐1,2,4‐triazole to 1,3‐bis(1 H ‐azol‐l‐yl)‐2‐aryl‐2‐propanols and 1‐phenacyl‐4‐[(benzoyl or 4‐toluenesulfonyl)‐imino]‐(1 H ‐1,2,4‐triazolium) Ylides

A series of 1,3‐bis(1 H ‐azol‐1‐yl)‐2‐aryl‐2‐propanols 17 were synthesized in an one‐pot procedure by reacting l‐aryl‐2‐(1 H ‐1,2,4‐triazol‐l‐yl)‐ or l‐aryl‐2‐(1 H ‐imidazol‐l‐yl)ethanones with dimethylsulfoxonium methide in the presence of either 1,2,4‐triazole or imidazole. The aromatic groups in 17 were either 4‐bromo‐, 4‐chloro‐, 2,4‐dichloro‐ or 2,4‐difluorophenyl. 4‐Amino‐4 H ‐1,2,4‐triazole was acylated with either benzoyl or 4‐toluene‐sulfonyl chloride to afford [4‐(benzoyl or 4‐toluenesulfonyl)amino]4 H ‐1,2,4‐triazole. Subsequent alkylations with 4‐bromo‐ or 4‐chlorophenacyl bromide produced 1‐(4‐bromo‐ or 4‐chlorophenacyl)‐4‐[(benzoyl‐ or 4‐toluenesulfonyl)amino]‐1 H ‐1,2,4‐triazolium bromides. Neutralizations of these salts provided the corresponding ylides.