Traceless solid-phase synthesis of 1,3,7,8-tetrasubstituted xanthine (1,3,7,8-tetrasubstituted 1H-purine-2,6(3H,7H)-dione) derivatives has been developed. The solid-phase synthetic route began on a solid supported N'-cyano-N-substituted carbamimidothioate, which was prepared from cyanamide, isothiocyanate, and Merrifield resin. After N-alkylation of carbamimidothioate resin with ethyl 2-bromoacetate, an imidazole ring is introduced by Thorpe-Ziegler-type cyclization. The resulting imidazole resin is converted to 1,3,7-trisubstituted xanthine resin using sequential reactions, such as Lewis acid-catalyzed urea formation, pyrimidine ring cyclization, and N-alkylation. After oxidation of sulfides to sulfones, traceless cleavage with amine or thiol nucleophiles afforded the desired 1,3,7,8-tetrasubstituted xanthines in good purities and overall yields (eight-steps; 36 examples). This efficient solid-phase synthesis enables the incorporation of four diversity points into the preparation of the 1,3,7,8-tetrasubstituted xanthines.
Keywords: 1,3,7,8-tetrasubstituted xanthines; Thorpe−Ziegler-type cyclization; carbamimidothioate; traceless solid-phase synthesis.