Hydrolysis of Cyclic Ureas under Microwave Irradiation: Synthesis and Characterization of 7,8-Diaminopelargonic Acid

A simple and efficient method for the synthesis of 7,8-diaminopelargonic acid, a key intermediate in the biotin biosynthesis pathway, is reported. The d-desthiobiotin powder was dissolved in concentrated hydrochloric acid, and the solution was exposed to microwave radiation of 2.45 GHz for varying lengths of time ranging from 60 s to 2 min. The product thus obtained was characterized by spectroscopic techniques and confirmed through bioassay. Further, the protocol was extended to the synthesis of several diamines from their corresponding cyclic ureas. The results show that the method is generally applicable and not only accelerates the hydrolysis reaction but also offers excellent yields