Abstract: | The room‐temperature crystal structures of four new thio derivatives of N‐methylphenobarbital systematic name: 5‐ethyl‐1‐methyl‐5‐phenylpyrimidine‐2,4,6(1H,3H,5H)‐trione], C13H14N2O3, are compared with the structure of the parent compound. The sulfur substituents in N‐methyl‐2‐thiophenobarbital 5‐ethyl‐1‐methyl‐5‐phenyl‐2‐thioxo‐1,2‐dihydropyrimidine‐4,6(3H,5H)‐dione], C13H14N2O2S, N‐methyl‐4‐thiophenobarbital 5‐ethyl‐1‐methyl‐5‐phenyl‐4‐thioxo‐3,4‐dihydropyrimidine‐2,6(1H,5H)‐dione], C13H14N2O2S, and N‐methyl‐2,4,6‐trithiophenobarbital 5‐ethyl‐1‐methyl‐5‐phenylpyrimidine‐2,4,6(1H,3H,5H)‐trithione], C13H14N2S3, preserve the heterocyclic ring puckering observed for N‐methylphenobarbital (a half‐chair conformation), whereas in N‐methyl‐2,4‐dithiophenobarbital 5‐ethyl‐1‐methyl‐5‐phenyl‐2,4‐dithioxo‐1,2,3,4‐tetrahydropyrimidine‐6(5H)‐one], C13H14N2OS2, significant flattening of the ring was detected. The number and positions of the sulfur substituents influence the packing and hydrogen‐bonding patterns of the derivatives. In the cases of the 2‐thio, 4‐thio and 2,4,6‐trithio derivatives, there is a preference for the formation of a ring motif of the R22(8) type, which is also a characteristic of N‐methylphenobarbital, whereas a C(6) chain forms in the 2,4‐dithio derivative. The preferences for hydrogen‐bond formation, which follow the sequence of acceptor position 4 > 2 > 6, confirm the differences in the nucleophilic properties of the C atoms of the heterocyclic ring and are consistent with the course of N‐methylphenobarbital thionation reactions. |