A. Sano et al., A FACILE AND PRACTICAL SYNTHESIS OF 9-METHYL-3-(1H-TETRAZOL-5-YL)-4H-PYRIDO [1,2-A]PYRIMIDIN-4-ONE, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 43(4), 1995, pp. 683-685
A facile and practical synthesis of (1H-tetrazol-5-yl)-4H-pyrido[1,2-a
]pyrimidin-4-one (4), the potassium salt of which is used clinically a
s an anti-asthma agent, is described. Treatment of a key intermediate
(6b), prepared from 2-amino-3-methylpyridine (1) and 2-ethoxymethylene
-1,3-propanedinitrile, with sodium azide in N,N-dimethylformamide gave
predominantly the cyanotetrazole (7a), while in acetic acid it gave e
xclusively the iminotetrazole (7b), which was easily converted into 4
by acid hydrolysis. A one-pot process starting from 6b to give 4, avoi
ding the use of explosive aluminum azide, was established.