| Abstract: | Xanthine ( 1 ) and its N-methyl derivatives 2–16 have been nitrated to the corresponding 8-nitro derivatives 17–32 under different reaction conditions. Nitration in glacial acetic acid with nitric acid works well with the N-7 unsubstituted and some of the 9-methylxanthines, respectively, whereas the 7-methylxanthine derivatives react best with nitronium tetrafluoroborate in sulfolane or glacial acetic acid. The 8-nitro group can be displaced nucleophilically to form 8-chloro-, 33, 34 , 8-ethoxy-, 35,36 , and uric acid derivatives 37–40 , respectively. The newly synthesized 8-nitroxanthines have been characterized by elemental analyses, pK-determinations and uv and 1H-nmr spectra. |
