A practical synthesis of multitargeted antifolate LY231514

A concise and scalable synthesis of LY231514 (1), a new pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine-based antitumor agent, is presented. Reaction of 2-bromo-4-arylbutanal 9 with 2,4-diamino-6-hydroxypyrimidine (10) regioselectively provided pyrrolo[2,3-d] pyrimidine 11, representing the core structure of the drug, in good yield. Assimilation of the glutamic acid residue by conventional means completed the synthesis. Development of the optimized synthetic route emphasized avoiding isolation of the relatively unstable aldehyde and bromoaldehyde intermediates.