Abstract: | Amino acids devoid of «leaving groups» on their β carbon atom (neither ? OH: serine, nor ? SH: cysteine) react with o-methoxycarbonyl-phenyl isothiocyanate (I) in the presence of one equivalent of NaOH, in water-dioxane or in ethanol, to yield the corresponding hydroquinazolinone derivatives II which were isolated as free acids. When treated with CH3COOH + conc. HCl the hydroquinazolinone resulting from the reaction of L -serine with I undergoes a nucleophilic attack of the carbon bearing the leaving group ? OH by a lone pair of electrons of S; this attack produces the formation of an additional thiazolidine ring, yielding the thiazoloquinazolinone derivative (?)-III. In an analogous reaction DL -serine phosphoric acid treated with I at pH 8–9 yields the corresponding substituted hydroquinazolinone which, boiled in 1N hydrochloric acid, undergoes ring closure to (±)-III by the same mechanism as the serine derivative (leaving group: ? OPO3H2). L -Cysteine reacted with 2 equiv. of I and then treated with CH3COOH + conc. HCl gives two products: (?)-III produced by the same mechanism as for serine (leaving group: ? SH), and the quinazolinone derivative IV where the ? SH group is also thiocarbamoylated. |