A concise synthesis of a highly substituted 6-(1H-benzimidazol-1-yl)-5-nitrosopyrimidin-2-amine: synthetic sequence and the molecular and supramolecular structures of one product and two intermediates

A concise and efficient synthesis of 6-benzimidazolyl-5-nitrosopyrimidines has been developed using Schiff base-type intermediates derived from N4-(2-aminophenyl)-6-methoxy-5-nitrosopyrimidine-2,4-diamine. 6-Methoxy-N4-{2-[(4-methylbenzylidene)amino]phenyl}-5-nitrosopyrimidine-2,4-diamine, (I), and N4-{2-[(ethoxymethylidene)amino]phenyl}-6-methoxy-5-nitrosopyrimidine-2,4-diamine, (III), both crystallize from dimethyl sulfoxide solution as the 1:1 solvates C19H18N6O2·C2H6OS, (Ia), and C14H16N6O3·C2H6OS, (IIIa), respectively. The interatomic distances in these intermediates indicate significant electronic polarization within the substituted pyrimidine system. In each of (Ia) and (IIIa), intermolecular N-H...O hydrogen bonds generate centrosymmetric four-molecule aggregates. Oxidative ring closure of intermediate (I), effected using ammonium hexanitratocerate(IV), produced 4-methoxy-6-[2-(4-methylphenyl-1H-benzimidazol-1-yl]-5-nitrosopyrimidin-2-amine, C19H16N6O2, (II) [Cobo et al. (2018). Private communication (CCDC 1830889). CCDC, Cambridge, England], where the extent of electronic polarization is much less than in (Ia) and (IIIa). A combination of N-H...N and C-H...O hydrogen bonds links the molecules of (II) into complex sheets.