Drug Intermediates

1,2-Dimethoxybenzene, commonly known as veratrole, is a chemical compound with the formula C₆H₄(OCH₃)₂. It is the dimethyl ether derived from pyrocatechol. Veratrole is slightly soluble in water, but miscible in all organic solvents. It is a building block for the organic synthesis of other aromatic compounds. Veratrole is relatively electron-rich and thus readily undergoes electrophilic substitution.

Researchers in the U.S. have found that a compound found in grapes and red wine can significantly reduce age related health problems.

Catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT; EC 2.1.1.6) is one of several enzymes that degrade catecholamines such as dopamine, epinephrine, and nor-epinephrine. As the regulation of catecholamines is impaired in a number of medical conditions, several pharmaceutical drugs target COMT to alter its activity and therefore the availability of catecholamines. COMT was first discovered by the biochemist Julius Axelrod.

The optimized molecular geometries of o-dimethoxybenzene (ODMB) in the S0 state were predicted by ab initio and density functional theory calculations. Its vibrational spectra in the S1 and D0 states were studied by one color resonant two photon ionization (1C-R2PI) and mass analyzed threshold ionization (MATI) experiments. The results indicated that trans rotamer was most stable.

Only one rotamer of ODMB was detected by the 1C-R2PI spectra, and its band origin was (35750±2) cm^-1, its ionization energy was (61617±5) cm^-1. Most of the observed vibrations in the D0 state resulted from the in-plane ring and substituent sensitive modes.