A novel convenient synthesis of 5-acyl-1,2-dihydropyrimidin-2-ones via 4-trichloromethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidin-2-ones

A novel four-step methodology for the synthesis of 5-acyl-1,2-dihydropyrimidin-2-ones has been developed. The reaction of readily available N-[(1-acetoxy-2,2,2-trichloro)ethyl]ureas with Na-enolates of 1,3-diketones or β-oxoesters followed by heterocyclization–dehydration of the oxoalkylureas formed gave 5-acyl-4-trichloromethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidin-2-ones. The latter, in the presence of NaH, eliminate CHCl3 to give the target compounds.