Synthesis of 2,3-butanedione ethyl-thiosemicarbazone

Abstract

Metal complexes of thiosemicarbazones have been shown in the literature to inhibit Topoisomerase II-α and could be used in potential chemotherapy treatments. A new ligand, 2,3-butanedione ethyl-thiosemicarbazone (BDMO-ETSC), was synthesized through an optimized technique to increase reaction percent yield. This synthesis utilizes 2,3-butanedione monoxime and 4-ethyl-3-thiosemicarbazide in 1% solution of acetic acid. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was used to determine the purity of the product, and only one conformation of the ligand was seen. Through this new synthesis procedure, we believe many new thiosemicarbazone ligands can be synthesized cleanly and in high yield.