Synthesis of 2-Aminoquinazolinones via Carbonylative Coupling of ortho-lodoanilines and Cyanamide

Herein, we describe a convenient and efficient synthesis of 2-aminoquinazolin-4(3H)-ones and N1-substituted 2-aminoquinazolin-4(1H)-ones by a domino carbonylation/cyclization process. The reaction proceeds via carbonylative coupling of readily available ortho-iodoanilines with cyanamide followed by in situ ring closure of an N-cyanobenzamide intermediate. The products were easily isolated by precipitation in moderate to excellent yields for a wide range of substrates, making this a highly attractive method for the synthesis of 2-aminoquinazolinones.