Microwave-Mediated Intramolecular Carbanilide Cyclization to Hydantoins Employing Barium Hydroxide Catalysis

Parallel Solid-Phase Synthesis of disubstituted 3-(1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)imidazolidine-2,4-diones and 3-(1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)-2-thioxoimidazolidin-4-ones

A multistep approach to construct novel 3-(1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)imidazolidine-2,4-diones and 3-(1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)-2-thioxoimidazolidin-4-ones from commercially available amino acids, amines, and carboxylic acids is described. Coupling of Fmoc-amino acid to resin-bound aminobenzimidazole provided following Fmoc elimination free amine. Treatment of the free amine with 1,1'-carbonyldiimidazole or 1,1'-thiocarbonyldiimidazole furnished the corresponding hydantoins and thiohydantoins via intramolecular cyclization. The desired aminobenzimidazole tethered hydantoin or thiohydantoins were isolated in good yields.

Microwave-mediated heterocyclization to benzimidazo[2,1-b]quinazolin-12(5H)-ones

An effective route to benzimidazo[2,1-b]quinazolin-12(5H)-ones from commercially available o-aryl isothiocyanate esters and o-phenylenediamines is reported. This method accommodates a variety of substituents on either starting material and proceeds under microwave irradiation in the presence of barium hydroxide, conditions that do not hydrolyze methyl ester substituents. The pharmacologically pertinent benzimidazoquinazolinone heterocycle is delivered in excellent yield and purity via both solution- and solid-phase protocols, the latter involving traceless release from the resin.

Controlled Microwave Heating in Modern Organic Synthesis

Although fire is now rarely used in synthetic chemistry, it was not until Robert Bunsen invented the burner in 1855 that the energy from this heat source could be applied to a reaction vessel in a focused manner. The Bunsen burner was later superseded by the isomantle, oil bath, or hot plate as a source for applying heat to a chemical reaction. In the past few years, heating and driving chemical reactions by microwave energy has been an increasingly popular theme in the scientific community. This nonclassical heating technique is slowly moving from a laboratory curiosity to an established technique that is heavily used in both academia and industry. The efficiency of "microwave flash heating" in dramatically reducing reaction times (from days and hours to minutes and seconds) is just one of the many advantages. This Review highlights recent applications of controlled microwave heating in modern organic synthesis, and discusses some of the underlying phenomena and issues involved.