On the oxidizability of 1-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimido[1,2-a]indole-10-carboxaldehyde and its crystal structure

The study of the molecular geometry of 1-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimido[1,2-a]indole-10-carboxaldehyde as determined by X-ray analysis and the electrochemical properties of that compound are reported. These are compared with those of a number of indole-3-carboxaldehyde, differently substituted at 1 and 2 position. This was done in order to understand the unsuccessful attempts to convert the title compound into the corresponding acid. The result indicate that this anomalous behaviour may be attributed to easy oxidizability of the pyrimido ring nitrogen.