J . Org. Chem. 1997, 62, 7201-7204
7201
A Reexa m in a tion of th e Mech a n ism of th e Bigin elli
Dih yd r op yr im id in e Syn th esis. Su p p or t for a n N-Acylim in iu m Ion
In ter m ed ia te1
C. Oliver Kappe*
Institute of Organic Chemistry, Karl-Franzens-University Graz, A-8010 Graz, Austria
Received J une 4, 1997X
The mechansim of the three-component Biginelli dihydropyrimidine synthesis was reinvestigated
1
using H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. Condensation of benzaldehyde, ethyl acetoacetate, and urea
(or N-methylurea) in CD3OH according to the procedure described by Biginelli produced the expected
6-methyl-2-oxo-4-phenyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidine-5-carboxylates. According to NMR measure-
ments, there is no evidence that the first step in the Biginelli reaction is an acid-catalyzed aldol
reaction of ethyl acetoacetate and benzaldehyde leading to a carbenium ion intermediate, as has
been suggested previously. In contrast, all experimental evidence points to a mechanism involving
an N-acyliminium ion as the key intermediate, formed by acid-catalyzed condensation of benzal-
dehyde and urea (or N-methylurea). Interception of this iminium ion by ethyl acetoacetate produces
open-chain ureides which subsequently cyclize to the Biginelli dihydropyrimidines.
In 1893 Biginelli reported the first synthesis of dihy-
dropyrimidines of type 4 by a simple one-pot condensa-
tion reaction of ethyl acetoacetate (1), benzaldehyde (2),
and urea (3a ).2 In the following decades the original
cyclocondensation reaction has been extended widely to
include variations in all three components, allowing
access to a large number of multifunctionalized dihydro-
pyrimidine derivatives.3 Largely ignored for many years,
the Biginelli reaction has recently attracted a great deal
of attention, and several improved procedures for the
preparation of dihydropyrimidines of type 4 have been
reported within the past few years.3-5 Various solid-
phase modifications of the Biginelli reaction suitable for
combinatorial chemistry have also been described.6
ized dihydropyrimidines of type 4 show a very similar
pharmacological profile to classical dihydropyridine drugs
and several lead compounds with excellent calcium
channel modulatory activity have been identified.8 In
addition, several marine alkaloids with interesting bio-
logical activities containing the dihydropyrimidine-5-
carboxylate core have been isolated.9-11 Most notably
among these are the crambine9 and batzelladine alka-
loids10 and the more complex pentacyclic alkaloid ptilo-
mycalin A,11 which was recently synthesized employing
a “tethered Biginelli condensation” as one of the key
steps.12
Despite the importance and current interest in dihy-
dropyrimidines of type 4, the mechanism of the classical
three-component Biginelli condensation has not been
elucidated with certainty and remains disputed.3 Early
work by Folkers and J ohnson suggested that N,N′′-
benzylidenebisurea (15a , see below), i.e. the primary
bimolecular condensation product of benzaldehyde (2)
and urea (3a ), is the first intermediate in this reaction.13
Later, Sweet and Fissekis have proposed a different
mechanism postulating that carbenium ion 6 (see below),
produced by an acid-catalyzed aldol reaction of benzal-
dehyde (2) with ethyl acetoacetate (1), is the key inter-
mediate and is formed in the first and limiting step of
the Biginelli reaction.14 To decide which of the two
fundamentally different mechanistic proposals is correct
The present interest in “Biginelli compounds” 4 is
mainly due to their close structural relationship to the
clinically important dihydropyridine calcium channel
modulators of the nifedipine-type.7 Properly functional-
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Fax: (43)-(316)-
3809840. E-mail: kappeco@balu.kfunigraz.ac.at.
(7) Goldman, S.; Stoltefuss, J . Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. Engl. 1991,
30, 1559-1578.
(8) Atwal, K. S.; Swanson, B. N.; Unger, S. E.; Floyd, D. M.;
Moreland, S.; Hedberg, A.; O′Reilly, B. C. J . Med. Chem. 1991, 34,
806-811. Rovnyak, G. C.; Atwal, K. S.; Hedberg, A.; Kimball, S. D.;
Moreland, S.; Gougoutas, J . Z.; O′Reilly, B. C.; Schwartz, J .; Malley,
M. F. J . Med. Chem. 1992, 35, 3254-3263.
(9) Snider, B. B.; Shi, Z. J . Org. Chem. 1993, 58, 3828-3839, and
references therein.
(10) Patil, A. D.; Kumar, N. V.; Kokke, W. C.; Bean, M. F.; Freyer,
A. J .; DeBrosse, C.; Mai, S.; Truneh, A.; Faulkner, D. J .; Carte, B.;
Breen, A. L.; Hertzberg, R. P.; J ohnson, R. K.; Westley, J . W.; Potts,
B. C. M. J . Org. Chem. 1995, 60, 1182-1188.
(11) Kashman, Y.; Hirsh, S.; McConnel, O. J .; Ohtani, I.; Takenori,
K.; Kakisawa, H. J . Am. Chem. Soc. 1989, 111, 8925-8926. Ohtani,
I.; Kusumi, T.; Kakisawa, H.; Kashman, Y.; Hirsh, S. J . Am. Chem.
Soc. 1992, 114, 8472-8479.
X Abstract published in Advance ACS Abstracts, October 1, 1997.
(1) Synthesis and Reactions of Biginelli Compounds. 9. For part 8,
see: Kleidernigg, O. P.; Kappe, C. O. Tetrahedron: Asymmetry 1997,
8, 2057-2067.
(2) Biginelli, P. Gazz. Chim. Ital. 1893, 23, 360-416.
(3) For a review of the Biginelli-condensation, see: Kappe, C. O.
Tetrahedron 1993, 49, 6937-6963.
(4) Kappe, C. O.; Peters. K.; Peters, E.-M. J . Org. Chem. 1997, 62,
2786-2797. Kappe, C. O.; Fabian, W. M. F.; Semones, M. A. Tetrahe-
dron 1997, 53, 2803-2816.
(5) O’Reilly, B. C.; Atwal, K. S. Heterocycles 1987, 26, 1185-1188.
Atwal, K. S.; Rovnyak, G. C.; O’Reilly, B. C.; Schwartz, J . J . Org. Chem.
1989, 54, 5898-5907. Gupta, R.; Gupta, A. K.; Paul, S.; Kachroo, P.
L. Ind. J . Chem. 1995, 34B, 151-152. Sa´r, C. P.; Hankovszky, O. H.;
J erkovich, G.; Pallagi, I.; Hideg, K. ACH-Models Chem. 1994, 131,
363-376.
(6) Wipf, P.; Cunningham, A. Tetrahedron Lett. 1995, 36, 7819-
7822. Studer, A.; J eger, P.; Wipf, P.; Curran, D. P. J . Org. Chem. 1997,
62, 2917-2924. Robinett, L. D.; Yager, K. M.; Phelan, J . C. 211th
National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, New Orleans,
1996; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1996; ORGN 122.
(12) Overman, L. E.; Rabinowitz, M. H. J . Org. Chem. 1993, 58,
3235-3237. Overman, L. E.; Rabinowitz, M. H.; Renhowe, P. A. J . Am.
Chem. Soc. 1995, 117, 2657-2658.
(13) Folkers, K.; J ohnson, T. B. J . Am. Chem. Soc. 1933, 55, 3784-
3791.
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