Abstract
The formation of dinitrophenyl derivatives from thiamine and its pyrimidine moieties by reaction with 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) in alkaline solution was investigated. Thiamine was easily converted into the dinitrophenyl derivative of its thiol-form. 2-Methyl-4-amino-5-aminomethylpyrimidine and 2-methyl-4-amino-5-hydroxymethyl-pyrimidine were also quantitatively transformed to their dinitrophenyl derivatives, while 2,5-dimethyl-4-aminopyrimidine was recovered unchanged from the reaction mixture with DNFB. Thus the amino group at the 4-position of pyrimidine moiety of thiamine was proved inert to DNFB. These dinitrophenyl derivatives are separated and identified more easily by paper chromatography, compared to their parent substances.
