A New Method for the Biomimetic Synthesis of 2-Hydroxy-3-Amino-1,4-Naphthoquinone

Methodology has been sought towards 1,4-naphthoquinone bearing amino group and hydroxyl group in the quinonoid ring. In the first of these objectives, 2-Hydroxy-3-nitro-1,4-naphthoquinone was synthesized by two kinds of improved method giving moderate yield. Then treatment of 2-hydroxy-3-nitro-1,4-naphthoquinone with stannous chloride in aqueous medium afforded 2-hydroxy-3-amino-1,4-naphthoquinone. The chemical structure of the product obtained by the process of the present study was verified by IR and NMR.