1-Ethyl-6-fluoro-1,4-dihydro-4-oxo-7-(1H-pyrrol-1-yl)-quinoline-3-carb oxylic acid, a new fluorinated compounds of oxacin family with high broad-spectrum antibacterial activities.

The synthesis of 1-ethyl-6-fluoro-1,4-dihydro-4-oxo-7-(1H-pyrrol-1-yl)quinoline-3-carboxy lic acid, a new fluorinated high broad-spectrum antibacterial agent related to nalidixic acid is described. The title compound has been prepared by the reaction of 4-fluoro-3-(1H-pyrrol-1-yl)aniline with diethyl ethoxymethylenemalonate, cyclization of the malonate obtained to the quinolinecarboxylate ester, ethylation of the ester, followed by hydrolysis with aqueous sodium hydroxide. The new derivative proved very active against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Its activities in comparison with those of nalidixic acid, pipemidic acid, piromidic acid and enoxacin were found to be greatly superior with regard to the unfluorinated compounds and somewhat superior also to enoxacin. The known 1-ethyl-6-fluoro-1,4-dihydro-4-oxo-7-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)quinoline-3- carboxylic acid, here prepared by catalytic hydrogenation of the pyrrole moiety of the title compound, has been found to be less active as an antibacterial agent.