Selective Reduction of Barbituric Acids Using SmI₂/H₂O: Synthesis, Reactivity, and Structural Analysis of Tetrahedral Adducts

Abstract

Making a mark: Since the 1864 landmark discovery by Adolf von Baeyer, barbituric acids have played a prominent role in organic synthesis. Herein, the first chemoselective monoreduction of barbituric acids to the corresponding hemiaminals is described. The method delivers mono- and bicyclic hemiaminal products by a general single-electron-transfer polarity reversal mechanism.