Synthesis of a versatile 2 (1H)-pyrazinone core for the preparation of Tissue Factor-Factor VIIa inhibitors

A new, general synthetic route to 2(1H)-pyrazinones 11 is described. The four-step synthesis is accomplished utilizing a regioselective hydrolysis and N-alkylation. These compounds efficiently undergo metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions to install P2 diversity groups in the 6-position, which can be used to refine the SAR of the S2 pocket of the Tissue Factor/Factor VIIa (TF/VIIa) complex.