Potential antitumor agents. 17. 9-Anilino-10-methylacridinium salts.

9-Anilino-10-methylacridinium salts result from reaction of substituted anilines and 9-chloro-10-methylacridinium salts in turn prepared from the 10-methyl-9(10H)-acridones and SOCl2 or POCl3. Antileukemic (L1210) activities of the quaternary salts were uniformly depressed compared to their unquaternized counterparts. If drug-solvent partition properties (log P) of the cations were considered, log P-activity relationships were similar for both base and quaternary salt series. Substituent effects on antitumor activity were similar in both series.