Alkylation of 2,4-(1H,3H)-quinazolinediones with dialkyl carbonates under microwave irradiations.

Alkylation is a very important chemical reaction which modifies the biological properties of drugs. Quinazolinedione derivatives are of considerable interest due to their wide array of pharmacological properties.We now report application of a practical alkylation procedure to several quinazolinediones, including pelanserine (5f), which shows antihypertensive properties, 1-methyl-3-(2'-phenylethyl)-1H,3H-quinazoline-2,4-dione (1ab) and 1-methyl-3-[2'-(4'-methoxyphenyl)ethyl]-lH,3H-quinazoline-2,4-dione (1ae), which had been isolated from natural sources. The alkylation was optimized using dimethyl and diethyl carbonates under microwave irradiations.