Synthesis of 5,8-dihydro-5-oxo-2-(3- or 4-pyridinyl)-pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine-6-carboxylic acids and the reinvestigation of the thermal cyclization of diethyl (2-hydroxy-4-pyrimidinyl)amino-methylenemalonate

Diethyl [2-(3- or 4-pyridinyl)-4-pyrimidinyl]aminomethylenemalonates 5 prepared by the reaction between 2-(3- or 4-pyridinyl)-4-pyrimidinamines 3 and diethyl ethoxymethylenemalonate ( 4 ) were thermally cyclized to afford ethyl 5,8-dihydro-5-oxo-2-(3- or 4-pyridinyl)pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine-6-carboxylates 6 . The later were alkylated with ethyl iodide and then saponified to give 5,8-dihydro-8-ethyl-5-oxo-2-(3- or 4-pyridinyl)pyrido-[2,3-d]pyrimidine-6-carboxylic acids 2 . Thermal cyclization of diethyl (2-hydroxy-4-pyrimidinyl)amino-methylenemalonate ( 8 ) gave ethyl 1,6-dihydro-4,6-dioxo-4H-pyrimido[1,6-a]pyrimidine-3-carboxylate ( 10 ) instead of ethyl 5,8-dihydro-2-hydroxy-5-oxopyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine-6-carboxylate ( 9 ) as previously claimed.