A new synthetic route to 7-halo-1-cyclopropyl-6-fluoro-1,4-dihydro-4-oxoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid,an intermediate for the synthesis of quinolone antibacterial agents

Starting from m-fluorotoluene, 7-chloro-6-fluoro- and 6,7-difluoro-1-cyclopropyl-1,4-dihydro-4-oxoquino-line-3-carboxylic acids, 3 and 16 were synthesized. Compounds 3 and 16 are useful intermediates for the synthesis of a class of quinolone antibacterial agents. The synthetic route involves two processes; i) construction of the quinoline ring by an intramolecular cyclization accompanied by the elimination of a nitro group and ii) introduction of fluorine atom by replacement of a nitro group with potassium fluoride. 7-(3-Amino-1-pyrroli-dinyl)-1-cyclopropyl-6-fluoro-1,4-dihydro-4-oxoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid (18) was prepared from 3 or 16. The antibacterial activity of 18 compares favorably with that of ciprofloxacin (2) .