Transformations of methyl 6-methyl-2-methylsulfanyl-4-oxo-3,4-dihydro-3-pyrimidinylacetate under oxidative conditions

The oxidation of methyl 6-methyl-2-methylsulfanyl-4-oxo-3,4-dihydro-3-pyrimidinylacetate by reagents which oxidized the SMe group to SO₂Me gave the products of the further transformation of the corresponding 2-methylsulfonyl-substituted ester obtained: methyl 5,5-dichloro-6-methoxy-6-methyl-2,4-dioxohexahydro-3-pyrimidinylacetate (using Cl₂ in 70 or 50% MeOH), its mixture (about 1:10) with methyl 6-methyl-2,4-dioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-3-pyrimidinylacetate (Cl₂ in 30% MeOH) or only to the latter compound (Cl₂ in H₂O, m-ClC₆H₄CO₃H in CHCl₃, H₂O₂ in MeOH). The reaction did not take place with NaOCl in DMF. __________ Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 6, pp. 901–905, June, 2006.