New Emivirine (MKC-442) Analogues Containing a Tetrahydronaphthalene at C-6 and their Anti-HIV Activity

Summary. An 5-ethyl-2-thiouracil derivative with a 6-(tetrahydronaphthalen-1-yl)methyl substituent was synthesized by condensation of thiourea with an adequate β-ketoester which in turn was synthesized in a single step from (tetrahydronaphthalen-1-yl)acetonitrile. The latter starting material was also used to synthesize an analogously substituted tetrahydronaphthalen-1-yl substituted uracil with a locked conformation. Only the non-nucleoside derivatives prepared from the desulfurized substituted 2-thiouracil showed moderate activity against HIV whereas a corresponding non-nucleoside derivative was devoid of activity against HIV.