Antiradiation compounds. XXII. Methyl 3-amino-2-phenyldithiopropenoates and 1,1-bis(methylthio)-3-amino-2-phenyl-1-propenes.

The title compounds were prepared in the attempt to provide methylthio and bis(methylthio) analogues of the radioprotective pyridinium- and quinolinium-2-dithioacetic acid derivatives in which the methylthio function is attached to an amino group through an aliphatic chain. The methyl 3-amino-2-phenyldithiopropenoates were obtained by the reaction of amines with 4-phenyl-3-methylthio-1,2-dithiolium iodide, and the 1,1-bis(methylthio)-3-amino-2-phenyl-1-propenes were obtained by methylation and reduction of the dithiopropenoates. The methyl dithiopropenoates with aliphatic substituents on the nitrogen gave only fair or poor radiation protection in mice, and one example of the reduced bis(methylthio) derivatives tested was inactive. The precursor 1,2-dithiole-3-thione and its methiodide, predicted to be radiation protective, were found inactive in this test.