Utilization of 2-ethoxymethylene-3-oxobutanenitrile in the synthesis of heterocycles possessing biological activity

2-Ethoxymethylene-3-oxobutanenitrile is a versatile trifunctional reagent that allows the introduction of a three-carbon moiety to amine-substrates. The reaction of the title compound with hydrazines has been studied leading to appropriate substituted pyrazoles . Reactions with other dinitrogen nucleophiles were studied giving access to a set of fused pyrimidines . All types of compounds displayed biological activity against bacteria, filamentous fungi and tumour HeLa cells, but not for yeasts. Pyrazole and pyrimidine have been found to possess the broadest activity.