Reaction of 2-Amino-1,4-Naphthoquinone Derivatives with Dimethyl Acetylenedicarboxylate

Abstract

The chemistry of quinone has been extensively studied since the turn of the century¹. The major thrust of the work has been biologically oriented due to the activity of this class of compound toward several microorganisms². In the naphthoquinone series, where the hydroxy-quinones are represented by 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinones, there are references to bactericidal³ and fungicidal⁴ activity. Aminonaphthoquinone derivatives are less studied but there are several reports in the literature indicating their activity against pneumococcus⁵, Eschericia Coli ⁶, oral bacteria⁷ and Plasmodium berghei⁸. Aminonaphthoquinone compounds have been found to be more potent inhibitors of D.N.A. synthesis than mitomycin in Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells^9–11.