Structural studies on bio-active compounds. Part 9. 2,4-Diamino-6-azidoquinazoline hydrochloride

C8H7N7.HCl has a formula weight Mr237.7, and crystallizes in space group P21/n with a = 6.498(1), b = 10.333(8), c = 15.406(5) A, beta = 91.72(2) degrees. The final R factor was 0.049 for 1010 unique observed reflections. The azido substituent is almost linear, coplanar with the heterocycle, and parallel to the C(7)-C(6) ring bond. The heterocycle is protonated at N(1) and extensively hydrogen bonded. The 6-azido compound is at least a 100-fold better inhibitor of Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase than the analogue lacking the azido group, according to I50 values. Superimposing the quinazoline moiety upon the pteridine ring of the methotrexate-dihydrofolate reductase (E. coli) complex reveals two orientations of the N3 group in which it can fit the enzyme, making van der Waals contacts. Ab initio molecular orbital calculations suggest that one of these conformations, with torsion angle phi = C(5)-C(6)-N(61)-N(62) = -163.8 degrees, is low in energy.