Traceless synthesis of hydantoin by focused microwave irradiation

An efficient, microwave-assisted method for the liquid-phase combinatorial synthesis of 1,3-disubstituted hydantoin has been developed. Chloroacetyl chloride was directly anchored to HO-PEG-OH and subsequently reacted with various primary amines in a microwave cavity. The PEG bound secondary amine coupled with isocyanates and concomitant cyclization-cleavage step occurred in mild basic conditions by microwave flash heating. The desired products were then liberated from the soluble matrix in modest yield and high purity.