A new approach to N-3 functionalized 3,4-dihydropyrimidine-2(1H)-ones with 1,2,4-oxadiazole group as amide isostere via ionic liquid-phase technology

New N-3 functionalized 3,4-dihydropyrimidine-2(1H)-ones with 1,2,4-oxadiazole group as amide isostere were synthesized in six steps by ionic liquid-phase organic synthesis (IoLiPOS) methodology from ILP bound acetoacetate. The 3,4-dihydropyrimidine-2(1H)-one (3,4-DHPM) core was prepared in the first step by one-pot three-component Biginelli condensation followed by N-alkylation with chloroacetonitrile. Then the nitrile group appended on the 3,4-DHPM heterocycle was quantitatively transformed into amidoxime. Addition of aliphatic carboxylic anhydride or aromatic carboxylic acid to the amidoxime produced the expected 1,2,4-oxadiazole via the O-acylamidoxime intermediate grafted on the ILP bound 3,4-DHPM using two convergent methods. After cleavage by transesterification under mild conditions, the target compounds were obtained in good overall yields. The structures and the purities of the reaction intermediates in each step were verified easily by routine spectroscopic analysis. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.