Date of Award

5-2004

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Program

Chemistry

Department

Chemistry

Major Professor

Jursic, Branko

Second Advisor

Gibb, Bruce

Third Advisor

Wang, Guijun

Fourth Advisor

Trudell, Mark

Fifth Advisor

Hanson, Paul

Abstract

Barbituric acids have been historically classified as compounds that act on the central nervous system, and as such provide therapeutic uses as anxiolytics, sedatives, hypnotics, and anticonvulsants. Recent investigations of barbituric acid derivatives have provided scientists with information that barbituric acids may have applications in antibacterial, anti-chlamydial, anti-viral, as well as anti-cancer treatments. Additionally, recent literature accounts have indicated that barbituric acid derivatives may also act as immune modulators. The recent explorations of barbiturates and their potential anti-cancer and immune modulating properties are the subject of this work. Novel synthetic approaches to the development of new barbituric acid derivatives were explored thoroughly, and the mechanisms of these novel syntheses were detailed by experiment and spectroscopic characterizations. In many cases the reaction procedures were designed for large scale, efficient syntheses, that are directly applicable to pharmaceutical production of these potentially valuable therapeutic compounds. Several new products unique to barbituric acid reactions were characterized spectroscopically. Barbituric acid derivatives were the subject of biological evaluation, and the results are reported in this work. Overall, unique synthetic approaches to the production of novel barbituric acid derivatives were accomplished to create several new classes of barbiturates with potential applications in cancer treatment.

Rights

The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.

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