17374-27-5

Most of the known methods for the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds have disadvantages, such as a long reaction time and aggressive conditions. We have developed a new, rather simple and efficient method for the synthesis of a number of glycoluryls and hydantoins in water using a etidronic acid (HEDP) as “Green catalyst.” So, for the first time, the condensation reaction of ureas with 1, 2-dicarbonyl compounds was carried out in the presence of HEDP. Also based on NMR studies, a chemism of these reactions, which is stepwise, is proposed. It has been established that the optimal conditions for the synthesis of glycoluryls and hydantoins using HEDP are: temperature 80°C-90°C, 40-20 minutes, and the ratio of urea and HEDP is 1:1. In all cases, the remaining aqueous filtrate containing HEDP after the reaction can be reused for other cycles synthesis of glycoluril and other compounds, because HEDP is not converted during the reaction.

A series of hydantoins and thiohydantoins have been synthesized in water at room temperature from urea (or N-methylurea, or thiourea) and simple aldehydes (as glyoxal, and its simple derivatives) in the presence of phosphoric anhydride. The reaction time is 10 min using an equimolar amount of P 4O10 with respect to the other reagents, but the reaction occurs also, even if with longer reaction times, with very small amounts of P4O10. In addition, this method provides a clean and 'green' approach to hydantoins, compounds of great interest in biological and pharmacological fields.

The determination of the structure of the intermediate in the Bucherer-Bergs reaction (the transformation in aqueous solution of an aldehyde into the corresponding amino-acid via the hydantoin) showed that this reaction involved the formation of α-aminonitrile carbamate.The slow formation of the carbonic anhydride from the carbonate buffer limited the formation of that main intermediate which was in equilibrium with the α-aminonitrile.The variation of the stability of the carbamate vs pH is mainly determined by the concentration of CO2 dissolved in the mixture, but also by the equilibrated formation of products formed by the degradation of α-aminonitrile, i.e. the aminodinitrile and the cyanohydrin.