A convenient and efficient method for the synthesis of N1-substituted orotic acid derivatives is reported. The synthetic route utilizes substituted maleimide as synthetic intermediate and takes only four simple steps from readily available starting materials. As a result, orotic acid derivatives with various alkyl and aromatic groups at N1 can be readily synthesized.
Keywords: Orotic acid; bromomaleimide; dibromosuccinimide; maleimide; orotidine; synthesis.