Mar-Apr 2004
177
Synthesis and Physicochemical Characterization of Fluorescent (E)-2-
Stilbenyloxyalkylthiouracils and Isomer Differentiation using EIMS
·
Elzbieta Wyrzykiewicz *, Monika Wendzonka
Faculty of Chemistry, Adam Mickiewicz University, Grunwaldzka 6, 60-780 Poznan´, Poland
Received July 1, 2003
Twelve new fluorescent (E)-2-stilbenyloxyalkylthiouracils and 6-methyluracils 5a-5l were prepared. EI
induced mass spectral fragmentation of these compounds was investigated. Fragmentation pathways are pro-
posed on the basis of accurate mass and metastable transition measurements. Correlation between the inten-
+.
sities of the M and the selected fragment ions of these compounds is discussed. The data obtained permit a
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distinction of the metamers. The H and C NMR spectra of these compounds were assigned unambigu-
ously using a combination of heteronuclear (HETCOR) spectra and the chemical shifts. The data derived
from these spectra can be used to differentiate the isomers.
J. Heterocyclic Chem., 41, 177 (2004).
Introduction.
Results and Discussion.
Thio derivatives of pyrimidine bases are of interest
because of their biological and pharmacological activities
[1-7]. Many of the modified nucleobases and nucleosides
both with additional five- and six-membered rings are flu-
orescent [8-11] and offer a possibility of gaining informa-
tion concerning DNA and RNA structure and dynamic
[12-14]. Many have been shown to enter biochemical path-
ways and have given indications about their binding to dif-
ferent enzymes [15-16]. The fluorescent derivatives of
cytosine and cytidine have been widely reported in the lit-
erature [11,17-20]. However, to the best of our knowledge,
very little work has been published on the synthesis and
physicochemical properties of fluorescent derivatives of 2-
thiouracils. This fact has stimulated us to prepare a series
of (E)-2-stilbenyloxyalkylthiouracils (5 a,5 c,5 e,5g,5 i,5 k)
and (E) - 2 - s t i l b e n y l o x y a l k y l t h i o - 6 - m e t h y l u r a c i l s
(5 b,5 d,5f,5 h,5j,5 l) with the idea that these compounds
bearing on pyrimidine ring (E)-stilbenyloxyalkylthio sub-
stituents with strongly fluorescent (E)-stilbene moiety,
would certainly be fluorescent [21,22].
A few series of twelve new fluorescent (E)-2-stilbeny-
loxyalkylthiouracils (5 a,5c,5e,5 g,5i ,5k) and (E) - 2 - s t i l-
benyloxyalkylthio-6-methyluracils (5b,5d,5f,5h ,5j ,5l)
have been synthesized in the reaction of 2-thiouracil (or 2-
thio-6-methyluracil) with corresponding (E) - b r o-
moalkoxystilbenes 3a-3f. Treatment of 2-thiouracil (or 2-
thio-6-methyluracil) with 3a-3f in 0.3 M solution of NaOH
in methanol at room temperatures afforded 5 a -5 l
(Scheme 1). A series of new 3a-3f have been synthesized
in the reaction of (E)-stilbenol-4, [(E)-4'-chlorostilbenol-4,
(E) 4'-nitrostilbenol-4)] with 1,2-dibromoethane (1,3-
dibromopropane; 1,4-dibromobutane; 1,5-dibromopen-
tane; 1,6-dibromohexane) in 0.3 M NaOH solution of
DMSO at room temperature. The structures of all com-
pounds obtained were determined by examining their
UV/VIS, IR, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectra as well as on
the basis of elemental analyses (Tables 1-7).
The 1H and 13C NMR data of 3a-3f and 5 a-5l are given in
Tables 3-7. Assignments of the 1H NMR and 13C NMR res-
onances of these compounds were deduced on the basis of
signal multiplicities, and by the concerted application of the
two–dimensional NMR technique HETCOR. The HET-
COR results allow unequivocal assignment of the 13C NMR
spectra proposed on the basis of chemical shifts theory,
additivity rules and by comparing the measured and calcu-
lated chemical shifts [31]. (E) configuration in the stilbene
part of the molecules of 3 a-3f and 5 a-5l was determined on
the basis of their UV/VIS and IR spectra. It has been pointed
out that in the UV/VIS spectra of 3 a-3f λmax are in the range
320-378 nm (Table 3), as well as 5 a-5 l 318.5-362.5 nm
(Table 4) respectively. According to the literature [26-28]
(E)-stilbenes exhibited the values of λmax in range 290-360
nm and for (Z)-stilbenes values of λmax fall in the range 260-
280 nm. The infrared spectra of 3 a-3f and 5 a-5l show a
strong band in the range 960-987 cm-1 which according to
the literature [29-30] can be attributed to the out-of-plane
deformation vibration of the C-H bond of the (E)-ethylene
bridge of the stilbene skeletone (Tables 3,4).
This paper deals with the synthesis and physicochemi-
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cal properties of 5a-5 l. The UV/VIS, IR, H NMR and
13C NMR of (E)-bromoalkoxystilbenes (3 a-3 f) have also
been investigated because these compounds are also
unknown in the literature. The analyses of 1H NMR, 13C
NMR and EI mass spectra of 5a-5l have been performed
to check the possibility of differentiation of (E)-2-stil-
benyloxyalkylthiouracils (5 a,5 c,5e,5g,5 i,5k ) and (E)-2-
stilbenyloxyalkylthio-6-methyluracils (5 b,5d,5 f,5h,5 j,5 l).
The investigation of electron-impact induced mass spec-
tra was also undertaken to discover whether it is possible
to distinguish the metamers with molecular formulas
C2 1 H2 0 N2O2S (5 b ,5 c ); C2 2 H2 1 N3O4S (5 f ,5 g ) and
C23H23N3O4S (5 h,5 i) on the basis of differences in val-
ues of µ1 and µ2 i.e. the ratio of the intensity of selected
fragment ion peaks to that of the parent ion peak, and to
compare the data with those previously obtained in our
laboratory [23-25].