Substituted 2-mercapto-imidazoles and their preparation and use.

摘要

The invention provides novel 1-substituted-5-hydroxymethyl-2-mercapto-imidazoles of the formula
<Chemistry id="chema01" num="0001"><Image id="ia01" he="27" wi="82" file="IMGA0001.TIF" imgContent="chem" imgFormat="TIFF" inline="no" /></Chemistry>wherein R is pyridylmethyl, alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, or a radical of formula:
<Chemistry id="chema02" num="0002"><Image id="ia02" he="23" wi="83" file="IMGA0002.TIF" imgContent="chem" imgFormat="TIFF" inline="no" /></Chemistry>R<Sub>1</Sub> is hydrogen or halogen and n is 1-3. These compounds are prepared by reacting together dihydroxyacetone dimer, the amine R-NH<Sub>2</Sub>, and potassium thiocyanate. The compounds of formula (I) are useful as starting materials in the preparation of known therapeutically valuable imidazole derivatives, by removing the mercapto group, oxidizing the alcohol group to an aldehyde group and condensing the aldehyde with an appropriate phenyl or phenylalkyl magnesium halide.