“…Research in our laboratories has disclosed a series of highly potent anticonvulsant enaminones (Edafiogho et al, 1992). Enaminones, enamines of P-dicarbonyl compounds, have been shown to be quite stable and have been used as prodrugs with variable results (Caldwell et al, 1971; Jensen et al, 1980; Murakami et al, 1981a,b;Fedor, 1984; Naringrekar and Stella, 1990). Structureactivity studies in our laboratories have shown that for maximum anticonvulsant activity enaminones should be derived from primary arylamines (which are substituted in the para posi-tion with a strong electron withdrawing group) and that a chiral ester function (e.g., carbomethoxy) in position 1 provides sustained duration of action.…”