Uracil syntheses

Ferris JP, Joshi PC, Lawless JG. Chemical evolution XXIX. Pyrimidines from hydrogen cyanide. Biosystems 1977 9 81-86. Voet AB, Schwartz AW. Uracil synthesis via HCN oligomerization. Orig. Life 1982 12 45-49. 

Chittenden GJ, Schwartz AW. Possible pathway for prebiotic uracil synthesis by photodehydrogenation. Nature 1976 263 350-351. 

The mode of action has been a subject for research for a number of years. While it was originally thought that maleic hydrazide replaced uracil in the RNA sequence, it has been deterrnined that the molecule may be a pyrimidine or purine analogue and therefore base-pair formation is possible with uracil and thymine and there exists the probabiHty of base-pair formation with adenine however, if maleic hydrazide occurs in an in vivo system as the diketo species, then there remains the possibiHty of base-pairing with guanine (50). Whatever the mechanism, it is apparent that the inhibitory effects are the result of a shutdown of the de novo synthesis of protein. 

Later, a completely different and more convenient synthesis of riboflavin and analogues was developed (34). It consists of the nitrosative cyclization of 6-(A/-D-ribityl-3,4-xyhdino)uracil (18), obtained from the condensation of A/-D-ribityl-3,4-xyhdine (11) and 6-chlorouracil (19), with excess sodium nitrite in acetic acid, or the cyclization of (18) with potassium nitrate in acetic in the presence of sulfuric acid, to give riboflavin-5-oxide (20) in high yield. Reduction with sodium dithionite gives (1). In another synthesis, 5-nitro-6-(A/-D-ribityl-3,4-xyhdino) uracil (21), prepared in situ from the condensation of 6-chloro-5-nitrouracil (22) with A/-D-ribityl-3,4-xyhdine (11), was hydrogenated over palladium on charcoal in acetic acid. The filtrate included 5-amino-6-(A/-D-ribityl-3,4-xyhdino)uracil (23) and was maintained at room temperature to precipitate (1) by autoxidation (35). These two pathways are suitable for the preparation of riboflavin analogues possessing several substituents (Fig. 4). 

Uracil is used more effectively, in nucleic acid synthesis within a rat hepatoma than in normal liver. This observation appears to have stimulated the synthesis of 5-fluorouracil (1027) as an antimetabolite mainly because the introduction of a fluorine atom involves a minimal increase in size. In the event, 5-fluorouracil did prove to have antineoplastic activity and it is now a valuable drug for treatment of tumors of the breast, colon or rectum, and to a lesser extent, gastric, hepatic, pancreatic, uterine, ovarian and bladder carcinomas. As with other drugs which interfere with DNA synthesis, the therapeutic index is quite low and great care is required during treatment (69MI21301). 

Cytarabine, 4-amino-l-/3-D-arabinofuranosylpyrimidin-2(lif)-one or cytosine arabino-side (1033 R = H, X = NH2), is an established drug for the treatment of acute leukaemias of childhood and adult granulocytic leukaemia. It must be given intravenously and much of the drug becomes the corresponding inactive uracil derivative in vivo by virtue of a deaminase in the liver it interferes with DNA but not RNA synthesis, and it has incidental... 

Uracil, 6-amino-1-benzyl-5-nitroso-2-thio-syn esis, 3, 131 Uracil, 6-amino-2-thio-synthesis, 3, 115 Uracil, 1-benzyl-syn esis, 3, 109 Uracil, 1-benzyloxy-... 

Uracil, 6-dimethoxymethyl-3-methyl-2-thio-synthesis, 3, 113 Uracil, 1,3-dimethyl-dimers, 3, 74 Uracil, 3,6-dimethyl-synthesis, 3, 106, 110 Uracil, 5-fluoro-... 

Uracil, 6-hydroxymethyl-2-thio-synthesis, 3, 121 Uracil, 5-iodo-2-thio-... 

Uracil, 5-methoxy-6-methoxymethyl-2-thio-synthesis, 3, 134 Uracil, 1-methyl-aminolysis, 3, 91 synthesis, 3, 110 Uracil, l-methyl-5,6-dihydro-synthesis, 3, 110 Uracil, 6-methyl-3-phenyl-synthesis, 3, 110 Uracil, 3-methyi-2-thio-synthesis, 3, 112 Uracil, 6-methyl-2-thio-oxidation, 3, 94 Uracil, 5-nitro-... 

For unsubstitUted or lower alkylated dioxotriazines, it is advantageous to cyclize semicarbazones by sodium ethylate in ethylene glycol as described by Chang and XJlbricht. In this reaction 6-aza-uracil is obtained in 66% yield. The procedure was used for the preparation of labeled 6-azauracil ° and later for the synthesis of a number of 6-alkyl derivatives including 6-azathymine. °... 

By comparing the dissociation constant of 6-azauracil and 6-aza-uridine with those or uracil and uridine, 6-azauridine is now considered to be 1-ribofuranosyl derivative (2-ribofuranosyl-3,5-dioxo-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-l,2,4-triazine), The same was shown more exactly by comparing the UV and IR spectra and the dissociation constants of 6-azauridine with the two monomethyl derivatives of 6-aza-uracil," Enzymatic synthesis thus, proceeds, in the same way in natural bases and in their aza analogs. 

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