An easy route to 2‐substituted‐2,3‐dihydro‐5(7)H‐oxazolo[3,2‐a]pyrimidin‐5‐ones and 7‐ones starting from the corresponding 2‐amino‐2‐oxazolines

The isomeric 2‐substituted‐7(5)‐methyl‐2,3‐dihydro‐5(7)H‐oxazolo[3,2‐a]pyrimidin‐5‐ones 3a‐b and 7‐ones 2a‐b,7a were synthesized by cyclocondensation from the 5‐substituted‐2‐amino‐2‐oxazolines 1a‐b with biselectrophiles. In boiling ethanol, the reaction of 1a‐b with acetylenic esters led to a mixture of 2a‐b,7a with a small amount of (E)‐2‐N‐(2‐ethoxycarbonylethylene)‐5‐substituted‐2‐iminooxazolines 5a‐b . The ring annulation between 1a‐b and diketene gave the 2‐substituted‐7‐hydroxy‐7‐methyl‐2,3,6,7‐tetrahydro‐5H‐oxazolo[3,2‐ a ]pyrimidin‐5‐ones 4a‐b which can be easily dehydrated to provide the 2‐substituted‐7‐methyl‐2,3‐dihydro‐5H‐oxazolo[3,2‐a]pyrimidin‐5‐ones 3a‐b .