Efficient synthesis and anticancer activities of some novel functionalized (4-oxo-4h-chromen-3-yl)-2-selenoxo-1,2-dihydropyrimidines

Some novel functionalized 2-selenoxo-1,2-dihydropyrimidines bearing a chromone ring 2a-h were synthesized in excellent yields via a simple one-pot reaction. The simple method depended on one-pot three-component the reaction of 3-formylchromone (1) and selenourea with some active methylene compounds in the presence of sodium benzoate as a basic catalyst in a mixture of ethanol and water. The reactions were completed in 1.5–2.5 h in 88-94% yields. Structures of the synthesized compounds were based on elemental analysis, IR, ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR and mass spectrometry. The anticancer properties of the synthesized compounds were evaluated against five cancer cell lines. Compounds 2a-d displayed the most potent anticancer activities against A549, MCF-7 and HepG2 cell lines in comparison with doxorubicin as the standard drug.