Based on the readily available 4-dichloromethylene-2-phenyl-1,3-oxazol-5(4H)-one, preparative methods for the synthesis of a set of functionalized derivatives of the poorly studied [1,3]oxazolo [4,5-d]pyrimidine system were elaborated.Annelation of azole moieties at the d-side of the pyrimidine nucleus leads to analogues structurally related to purine. Of these, derivatives of the [1,3]oxazolo[5,4-d]pyrimidine fused system I ( Figure 1) have been studied the most comprehensively, and various methods for their synthesis have been presented. 1-9 Figure 1 [1,3]Oxazolo[5,4-d]-and [1,3]oxazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidines In contrast, the isomeric [1,3]oxazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidines II ( Figure 1) are poorly studied. Some have been obtained from 4-amino-5-hydroxypyrimidine and its derivatives by condensations with ortho esters 10,11 and benzoic anhydrides. 12 These methods are obviously unsuitable for the introduction of functional substituents at position 7 of the [1,3]oxazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidine system. The formation of 2-phenyl-[1,3]oxazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidin-7-one by isomerization of its isooxazole analogue 13 under flash vacuum pyrolysis at 700°C is also more likely to be of scientific than preparative interest.We report here on the elaboration of a preparative method for the synthesis of a series of mono-and difunctionalized derivatives of fused system II based on readily available 4-dichloromethylene-2-phenyl-1,3-oxazol-5(4H)-one (1) 14 (Scheme 1).Treating 1,3-oxazol-5(4H)-one 1 with benzamidine hydrochloride (2a) or similar reagents 2b and c in the presence of triethylamine led to substituted imidazol-4(5)-ones 3a-c, which on heating in pyridine underwent cyclocondensation followed by recyclization affording the corresponding [1,3]oxazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidines 7a-c in 60-70% yields (Scheme 1). Since the structure of one of the intermediates 3a was reliably established earlier, 15 the structures of the similar compounds 3b and c were confirmed by 1 H NMR and IR spectroscopy ( Table 1). The structure of compound 10, the end product of the cascade transformation 1→3c→7c→10, was unequivocally solved by X-ray diffraction ( Figure 2 and Table 2).In the solid state there are two symmetrically independent molecules 10A and 10B with virtually the same geometry. The central oxazolo [4,5-d]pyrimidine system N(1-3)C(1-5)O(1) is planar within 0.03 Å. Notable is the quite strong 16 intramolecular hydrogen bond N(2)-H···O(3) 'assisted by resonance' 17 forming a six-membered ring O(3)C(12)N(4)C(5)N(2)H(2) as an interesting peculiarity of the molecular structure of compound 10.Since the presence of the [1,3]oxazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidine system in key compound 10 was reliably established, there are no doubts that the similar compounds 7a-c as well as 8a,b and 9a,b are also derivatives of this system. Furthermore, the melting points and spectral characteristics of compounds 7a, 8a, and 9a differ from those of the corresponding derivatives of the isomeric [1,3]oxazolo[5,4-d]pyrimidine system prepared by known methods. 6 This supports the correctness of the int...