The Michael addition reaction between dithiomalondianilide (N,N'-diphenyldithiomalondiamide) and arylmethylidene Meldrum's acids, accompanied by subsequent heterocyclization, was investigated along with factors affecting the mixture composition of the obtained products. The plausible mechanism includes the formation of stable Michael adducts which, under the studied conditions, undergo further transformations to yield corresponding N-methylmorpholinium 4-aryl-6-oxo-3-(N-phenylthio-carbamoyl)-1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyridin-2-thiolates and their oxidation derivatives, 4,5-dihydro-3H-[1,2]dithiolo[3,4-b]pyridin-6(7H)-ones. The structure of one such product, N-methylmorpholinium 2,2-dimethyl-5-(1-(2-nitrophenyl)-3-(phenylamino)-2-(N-phenylthiocarbamoyl)-3-thioxopropyl)-4-oxo-4H-1,3-dioxin-6-olate, was confirmed via X-ray crystallography.
Keywords: Meldrum’s acid; Michael adducts; active methylene compounds; dithiomalonamides; heterocyclization.