Abstract:
A method for preparing certain 4-alkyl-5,11-dihydro-6H-dipyrido[3,2-b:2&#39;,3&#39;-e][1,4]diazepin-6-ones, which employs the following reaction scheme: ##STR1##

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a novel method for preparing certain 4-alkyl-5,11-dihydro-6H-dipyrido[3,2-b:2&#39;,3&#39;-e][1,4]diazepin-6-ones. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     4-Alkyl-5,11-dihydro-6H-dipyrido[3,2-b:2&#39;,3&#39;-e][1,4]diazepin-6-one, and their use in the treatment of HIV-1 infection are known in the prior art. These compounds are, for example, described in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/091,418 filed Jul. 13, 1993, European Patent Application No. 90 121 954.3 (publication No. 0 429 987), and by Karl D. Hargrave et al., &#34;Novel Non-Nucleoside Inhibitors of HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase. 1. Tricyclic Pyridobenzo- and Dipyridodiazepinones&#34;, J. Med. Chem, 34, 2231 (1991). Copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/063,592, filed on May 18, 1993 describes one of several possible methods for preparing 5,11-dihydro-6H-dipyrido[3,2-b:2&#39;,3&#39;-e][1,4]diazepines, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,200,522 describes methods for preparing 4-alkyl-3-amino-2-chloropyridines useful as intermediates in the synthesis of 5,11-dihydro-6H-dipyrido[3,2-b:2&#39;,3&#39;-e][1,4]diazepines. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     4-Alkyl-5,11-dihydro-6H-dipyrido[3,2-b:2&#39;,3&#39;-e][1,4]diazepin-6-ones prepared by the novel process of this invention have the formula: ##STR2## wherein, 
     R 1  is alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, trihalomethyl, alkyloxyalkyl or alkylthioalkyl of 2 to 5 carbon atoms, or arylalkyl (wherein the aryl moiety is phenyl, thienyl, furanyl, or pyridyl, which is either unsubstituted or substituted by alkyl or alkoxy of 1 to 3 carbon atoms, or halogen, and the alkyl moiety contains 1 to 2 carbon atoms which may be unsubstituted or substituted with a methyl group); and, 
     R 2  is alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms or cycloalkyl of 3 to 6 carbon atoms. 
     The process of the invention for the preparation of the compound of formula I is depicted by the following reaction scheme. ##STR3## 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The process of this invention for preparing the 4-alkyl-5,11-dihydro-6H-dipyrido[3,2-b:2&#39;,3&#39;-e][1,4]diazepin-6-ones of formula I comprises the following steps: 
     Step 1: A compound of the formula II ##STR4## wherein R 3  is alkyl of from 1 to 3 carbon atoms, is reacted with a compound of the formula III ##STR5## wherein R 4  is an alkyl group of from one to 5 carbon atoms, in an aprotic, organic solvent such as, but not limited to, tetrahydrofuran (THF), with two equivalents of a base such as, but not limited to, sodium hexamethyldisilazane (NaHMDS), at room temperature for about 15 minutes to two hours, to produce a compound of the formula IV ##STR6## 
     Step 2: The compound of formula IV, produced in Step 1, is reacted with two equivalents of a strong base, such as, for example, n-butyllithium (nBuLi), at between about -78° and -10° C. in a polar, aprotic solvent, such as, for example, diethyl ether, containing a strongly polar, aprotic cosolvent, such as, for example, tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA), to generate an intermediate dianionic species. The dianionic species need not be isolated from the reaction mixture. The reaction mixture, containing the dianionic species is then cooled to below about -30° C. and treated with an electrophile of the form R 1  --X, wherein R 1  is as described above, and X is a leaving group, such as, for example, halogen, to generate a compound of formula V upon stirring at between about 0° and 30° C. for about 1 to 12 hours. ##STR7## 
     Step 3: The protecting group (--COOR 4 ) is removed from the compound of formula V, produced in Step 2, using known per se techniques, such as those described by Greene in &#34;Protective Groups in Organic Synthesis&#34; (J. Wiley &amp; Sons, 1981) to yield a compound of the formula VI. ##STR8## 
     For example, when R 4  is tert-butyl, the reaction proceeds using dry hydrogen chloride in ethyl acetate at about room temperature. The free base of the amine may be liberated using a base, such as, for example, NaHCO 3 . When R 4  is methyl, base catalyzed hydrolysis may be used. 
     Step 4: The compound of formula VI, produced in step 3, is reacted with a compound of the formula VII ##STR9## wherein X 1  and X 2  are halogen atoms, such as, for example, chlorine, in an aprotic organic solvent such as, for example, ethyl acetate, in the presence of a hydrogen halide (HX) scavenger such as, for example, triethylamine, to produce a compound of the formula VIII. ##STR10## 
     Step 5: The compound of formula VIII, produced in step 4, is reacted with an amine of the formula R 2  --NH 2  wherein R 2  is as described above, at a temperature of between about 90° and 120° C. for about 3 to 24 hours, in the presence of a hydrogen halide scavenger (HX), such as, for example, R 2  --NH 2 , to produce a compound of the formulaIX. ##STR11## 
     Step 6: The compound of formula IX, produced in step 5, is reacted with 2 equivalents of a base such as, for example, NaH, in a highly polar, aprotic organic solvent, such as, for example, pyridine, at between about 80° and 110° C. for about 2 to 24 hours, to produce a compound of formula I. 
     Example I illustrates the preparation of a 4-alkyl-5,11-dihydro-6H-dipyrido[3,2-b:2&#39;,3&#39;-e][1,4]diazepin-6-one, a compound of formula I wherein R 1  is methyl, using the synthetic method provided by the present invention. 
    
    
     EXAMPLE I 
     A) Preparation of 3-(tert-Butoxycarbonylamino)-2-methoxypyridine ##STR12## 
     To a stirred solution of 2.48 g (20 mmol) of 3-amino-2-methoxypyridine and 4.37 g (20 mmol) of di-tert-butyldicarbonate (Boc 2  O) in 10 mL of THF was added at 0° C. 40 mL of a 1M solution of NaHMDS in THF. The mixture was then stirred at room temperature for 2 hours. The THF was removed by rotary evaporation and the residue was dissolved in EtOAc and washed twice with an equal volume of 0.1N HCl. The EtOAc layer was dried (MgSO 4 ) and concentrated to give 3.9 g (87%) of the desired material as an oil after purification further by flash chromatography on silica gel using 95:5 hexane:EtOAc as the eluant. 
     B) Preparation of 3-(tert-Butoxycarbonylamino)-2-methoxy-4-methylpyridine ##STR13## 
     To a stirred solution of 1.12 g (5 mmol) of 3-(tert-butoxycarbonylamino)-2-methoxypyridine in 25 mL of dry ether containing 1.8 mL, (12 mmol) of TMEDA at -78° C. under an argon atmosphere was added 4.8 mL (12 mmol) of a 2.5M solution of nBuLi in hexanes. The mixture was then warmed to -10° C. for 2 h. Recooling to -78° C. and treatment with iodomethane (0.99 g, 7 mmol) followed by warming to room temperature for 1 h produced the desired product which was purified by quenching with water, washing the ether layer with 0.1N HCl, drying (MgSO 4 ), concentration and flash chromatography (9:1 hexanes:EtOAc). Yield: 1.00 g (84%). Recrystallization from heptane provided further purification. m.p.: 93°-95° C. 
     C) Preparation of 3-Amino-2-methoxy-4-methylpyridine ##STR14## 
     3-(tert-Butoxycarbonylamino)-2-methoxy-4-methylpyridine (0.7 g, 2.9 mmol) was treated with 25 mL of 4M HCl in EtOAc at room temperature overnight. The resulting suspension was carefully washed with sat. NaHCO 3 , dried (MgSO 4 ) and concentrated to give 0.4 g of the free amine as an oil (100%). m.p. (HCl salt): 199° C. (d). 
     D) Preparation of 2-Chloro-N-(2-methoxy-4-methyl-3-pyridinyl)-3-pyridinecarboxamide ##STR15## 
     To a solution of 0.4 g (2.9 mmol) of 3-amino-2-methoxy-4-methylpyridine and 0.5 g (2.9 mmol) of 2-chloronicotinoyl chloride in EtOAc at 0° C. was added 0.4 g (3.0 mmol) of N,N-diisopropylethylamine. Stirring was continued for 10 h at which point the mixture was washed with 0.1N HCl , dried (MgSO 4 ), concentrated and purified by flash chromatography on silica gel (1:1 EtOAc:hexanes) to yield 0.7 g (88%) of the desired material. m.p.: 145°-146° C. (Recrystallized from ethyl acetate). 
     E) Preparation of 2-(Cyclopropylamino)-N-(2-methoxy-4-methyl-3-pyridinyl)-3-pyridinecarboxamide ##STR16## 
     2-Chloro-N-(2-methoxy-4-methyl-3-pyridinyl)-3-pyridinecarboxamide (0.55 g, 2 mmol) was placed in a sealed tube containing cyclopropylamine (0.5 mL, 7 mmol) and heated to 110° C. overnight. Removal of the cyclopropylamine by rotary evaporation followed by flash chromatography of the residue on silica gel (1:1 EtOAc:hexanes) gave the desired compound in 86% yield (0.51 g). m.p.: 151°-152° C. (Recrystallized from heptane). 
     F) Preparation of 5,11-dihydro-4-Methyl-6H-dipyrido[3,2-b:2&#39;,3&#39;-e][1,4]diazepin-6-one ##STR17## 
     A solution of 2-(cyclopropylamino)-N-(2-methoxy-4-methyl-3-pyridinyl)-3-pyridinecarboxamide (0.3 g, 1 mmol) in 2 mL of dry pyridine under an argon atmosphere was treated with 2.2 mL of a 1.0M solution of NaHMDS. The solution was then warmed to 90° C. for 6 h. Upon cooling, the mixture was partitioned between EtOAc and 0.5N HCl. The EtOAc layer was then washed further with 0.5N HCl, dried (MgSO 4 ) and concentrated. The residue was purified by flash chromatography on silica gel (1:1 EtOAc:Hexanes) to give 5,11-dihydro-4-methyl-6H-dipyrido[3,2-b:2&#39;,3&#39;-e][1,4]diazepin-6-one in 91% yield (0.24 g).