Novel approach to the synthesis of alkylated phenytoin scaffold

Abstract

This work highlighted an innovative approach for the synthesis of phenytoin derivative namely 3-methyl-5,5-diphenylimidazolidine-2,4-dione, from its sulfur analog, thiohydantoin, via a nucleophilic attack using a hydroxide ion source. The reaction mechanism has been proposed and explained. Subsequently, the structure of the title compound has been elucidated on the basis of classical spectroscopic techniques such as NMR (¹H, ¹³C), IR, and high-resolution mass spectrometry, and confirmed by a single –crystal X ray diffraction analysis.