Patent ID: 6916922

Claim:
A process for preparing compounds of the formula: wherein: R 1 , R 2 , R 4 and R 5 are each independently, hydrogen, hydroxy, alkyl of 1-6 carbon atoms, cycloalkyl, alkoxy of 1-6 carbon atoms, halogen, fluorinated alkyl of from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, —CN, —NH—SO 2 -alkyl of 1-6 carbon atoms, —SO 2 —NH-alkyl of 1-6 carbon atoms, alkyl amide of 1-6 carbon atoms, amino, alkylamino of 1-6 carbon atoms, dialkylmino of 1-6 carbon atoms per alkyl moiety, fluorinated alkoxy of 1-6 carbon atoms, acyl of 2-7 carbon atoms, aryl or aroyl; R 3 is hydrogen, alkyl of 1-6 carbon atoms, cycloalkyl, alkoxy of 1-6 carbon atoms, fluorinated alkyl of from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkyl sulfonamide of 1-6 carbon atoms, alkyl amide of 1-6 carbon atoms, amino, alkylamino of 1-6 carbon atoms, dialkylmino of 1-6 carbon atoms per alkyl moiety, fluorinated alkoxy of 1-6 carbon atoms, acyl of 2-7 carbon atoms, aryl or aroyl; the process comprising the steps of: a) acylating a cyclopentaindole methylamine of the formula: with an acylating agent of the formula: wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 and R 5 are as defined above and L represents a leaving group to produce an acylated compound of the formula: b) cyclizing the acylated compound of step a) to produce an optionally substituted diazabenzo[cd]cyclopenta[a]azulen-6-one compound of the formula: c) reducing the diazabenzo[cd]cyclopenta[a]azulen-6-one compound of step b) to produce an optionally substituted diazabenzo[cd]cyclopenta[a]azulene compound of the formula: