Synthesis of 3-(1-Methyl-1H-imidazol-2-ylthio)propanoic Acid and (E)-3-(1-Methyl-1H-imidazol-2-ylthio)acrylic Acid

Abstract

The syntheses of 3-(1-methyl-1H-imidazol-2-ylthio)acrylic acid and 3-(1-methyl-1H-imidazol-2-ylthio)propanoic acid, mitochondria-targeted prodrugs of the antioxidant methimazole, are described. The method of Fan et al. (Synthesis 2006, 2286) for the reaction of phenols with propiolic acid and propiolate esters was modified to synthesize (E)-3-(1-methyl-1H-imidazol-2-ylthio)acrylic acid. The intermediate tert-butyl (E)-3-(1-methyl-1H-imidazol-2-ylthio)acrylate was prepared by the reaction of tert-butyl propiolate with methimazole; the use of tert-butyl propiolate rather than methyl propiolate gave tert-butyl (E)-3-(1-methyl-1H-imidazol-2-ylthio)acrylate as the predominant isomer. Acid hydrolysis of the intermediate ester afforded the target compound. 3-(1-Methyl-1H-imidazol-2-ylthio)propanoic acid was synthesized from 3-bromopropanoic acid and methimazole under conditions that gave preferential substitution on sulfur and minimized substitution on nitrogen.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Keywords:

• Alkyne activation
• antioxidants
• methimazole
• β-oxidation
• thiols

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work was supported by the P30 ES006694 Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center (SSL), T32 ES007091 and T32 ES016652 (both to C. M. H.), at the University of Arizona. We would like to acknowledge Dr. Richard T. Miller for critical review of the manuscript.