Potential antidepressants: 1-(2-(Methoxy- and hydroxyphenylthio)phenyl)-2-propylamines

Abstract

2-(Methoxyphenylthio)benzaldehydes Xa-Xd were reacted with nitroethane in boiling acetic acid to give the corresponding 1-aryl-2-nitropropenes XIIa-XIId; benzonitriles XIIIa and XIIIc and benzaldoximes XXIc and XXId were isolated as by-products. Chromatographed compounds XIIa-XIId were reduced with lithium aluminium hydride to the primary amines VIIa-VIId, and formylated by heating with ethyl formate to the formamides XIVa, XIVc, and XIVd. Reduction of the formamides with lithium aluminium hydride afforded the secondary amines VIIIa, VIIIc, and VIIId, and methylation of the primary amines with formic acid and formaldehyde gave the tertiary amines IXa, IXc, and IXd. Compound VIIIa was prepared also by an alternative route starting from the nitrile XIIIa and proceeding via XIXa and XIVa. Some of the methoxylated amines were demethylated either by heating with pyridine hydrochloride or by treatment with boron tribromide to the title compounds IVa, IVc, Vc, Vd, VIa, and VIc. The amines prepared were transformed to salts for characterization and for pharmacological testing. Compound VIIIa (hydrogen oxalate V⁄FB-15 475) showed clearly the character of a potential antidepressant.