Synthesis of 2‐amino‐4‐imino‐4,5‐dihydrothiazoles from N‐sulfonyl‐α‐chloroamidines and thiourea

A number of new and interesting 2-amino-4-(N-substituted)imino-4,5-dihydrothiazoles were synthesized by reacting thiourea (or thiourea hydrochloride) with N-alkyl- or N,N-dialkyl-N′-p-toluenesulfonyl-α-chloroacetamidines, where the N,N-alkyl groups were ethyl, cyclohexyl, benzyl, β-phenethyl, (3,5-dimethyl-1-adamantyl)-methyl, as well as N,N-dimethyl- and N,N-pentamethylene. Reactions of N-alkyl-N-p-toluenesulfonyl-2-chloroacetamidines (substituents being N-ethyl, N-benzyl and N,N-dimethyl) with thiourea hydrochloride in hot 2-propanol furnished 2-amino-4-(p-toluenesulfonyl)imino-4,5-dihydrothiazole (in 51, 60 and 65% yields, respectively) and the corresponding amine hydrochloride. In hot acetone or butanone, the reactions of these N-sulfonyl-2-chloroacetamidines with excess thiourea provided 2-amino-4-N-(alkyl or N,N-dialkyl)imminium-4,5-dihydrothiazole chlorides in 25–80% yield. The by-product from these reactions was p-toluenesulfonamide. The structures of the products were established by chemical transformations and spectral methods (nmr and mass spectra).