A short way for the synthesis of lumiflavin and derivatives is developed, leading to the new structural analogues 2-thiolumiflavine and 2-lumiflavimine, which exhibit interesting oxido-reductive and metal chelating properties and may be riboflavin antirnetabolites.
Starting from lumiflavine and its 2-thio-analogue, the leukoflavine nucleus was obtained and stabilized by reductive acylation. The acyl-leuko-compounds seem to exhibit the possibility of substitution reactions in 2- and 4-positions. Several new lumiflavines were obtained, e. g. 4-thiolumiflavine and 2-desoxylumiflavine. The latter shows rather peculiar oxido-reductive properties which are discussed