Contributions & Priority

Last updated: 14 September 2026

This page records first-reported structures, synthetic methods and structural assignments documented in the 1950 doctoral thesis and published work of Hekmat B. F. Antaki through 1967. Priority statements are based on the original thesis and papers, the earlier literature, and independent later sources where such evidence is available. The table is intended as a concise scholarly reference record; detailed chemical discussion, experimental context and later scientific reception are given on the individual subject pages.

Priority terminology. Established is used where Antaki explicitly states that the chemistry or ring system had not previously been reported, where the original work establishes a structural assignment directly, or where independent later literature expressly identifies Antaki as the first report. Strongly supported is used where examination of the earlier literature supports priority but an explicit first-report statement or independent attribution has not been located.

Nomenclature. Chemical names are given in modern nomenclature where practical. Historical names used in Antaki's papers and 1950 doctoral thesis are retained on the detailed pages where they are important for tracing the older literature.

Contribution Year Primary source Priority Evidence / qualification
Pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidin-4-one structural assignment 1950–1951 Ph.D. thesis, University of London, 1950
J. Chem. Soc., 1951, 551–555
10.1039/JR9510000551 		Established Antaki's doctoral thesis describes the alternative synthesis from 2-bromopyridine and ethyl β-aminocrotonate as providing unequivocal proof of the 4-oxo structure. The result was published with Petrow in 1951, resolving the long-standing structural assignment originating in the earlier Palazzo–Tamburini chemistry. A later canonical review likewise described the result as an “unequivocal synthesis” (DOI).
UV spectral similarity as structural evidence in fused pyrimidines 1950 Ph.D. thesis, University of London, 1950 Strongly supported Earliest use located in the literature examined of ultraviolet spectral similarity as structural evidence in this fused-pyrimidine system. Antaki reported nearly identical absorption spectra for independently prepared compounds and interpreted the similarity as indicating the presence of identical nuclei and as further evidence for the assigned structures.
1H-Pyrimido[1,2-a]quinoline 1951 J. Chem. Soc., 1951, 551–555
10.1039/JR9510000551 		Strongly supported Pfizer later stated that synthesis of a 1H-pyrimido[1,2-a]quinoline “appears to have first been reported by Antaki et al.” No earlier synthesis has been located in the literature examined.
Thiazolo[3,2-a]pyrimidin-5-one 1951 J. Chem. Soc., 1951, 551–555
10.1039/JR9510000551 		Established Antaki's doctoral thesis states that the corresponding 7:9-diazathianaphthene system had not previously been described. The 1951 paper reports its synthesis.
Pyrimido[2,1-b]benzothiazol-4-one 1951 J. Chem. Soc., 1951, 551–555
10.1039/JR9510000551 		Established The 1951 paper describes this as a novel ring system. Pfizer later stated explicitly that “the pyrimido[2,1-b]benzothiazole ring system was first reported by Antaki, et al.”
Pyrimido[2,1-b]benzoxazol-4-one 1951 J. Chem. Soc., 1951, 551–555
10.1039/JR9510000551 		Established Antaki's doctoral thesis states that the corresponding 1:11-diaza-9-oxafluorene ring system had not previously been reported. The 1951 paper reports its synthesis.
Linear indolocholestane structural reassignment 1951 J. Chem. Soc., 1951, 901–904
10.1039/JR9510000901 		Established Antaki and Petrow reversed the earlier angular assignment in favour of the linear indolocholestane structure. Ban and Sato subsequently confirmed the linear assignment independently by chemical degradation (DOI).
1-Glycosyl-2-methylbenzimidazoles and orthoacetate route 1951 J. Chem. Soc., 1951, 2873–2877
10.1039/JR9510002873 		Established The paper states that preparation of 1-glycosyl-2-methylbenzimidazoles had not previously been recorded and reports their preparation through N-glycosyl-o-phenylenediamines and ethyl orthoacetate.
Characteristic UV absorption and chromophore assignment in pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidin-4-ones 1958–1962 J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1958, 80, 3066–3069
10.1021/ja01545a041

J. Org. Chem., 1962, 27, 1371–1374
10.1021/jo01051a058 		Strongly supported Antaki identified an intense 330–390 nm absorption band as a constant feature of the class in 1958 and related it to the underlying chromophore and conjugation. In 1962 he assigned the characteristic ca. 245 nm band to the –C=C–C=O chromophore, examined predictable spectral changes produced by structural modification, and used the resulting behaviour to investigate resonance and zwitterionic contributions. No earlier treatment combining these class-wide observations and chromophore assignments has been located in the literature examined.
Ethyl ethoxymethyleneacetoacetate cyclisation with 2-aminopyridines 1958 J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1958, 80, 3066–3069
10.1021/ja01545a041 		Strongly supported No earlier example has been located in which this reagent is used with 2-aminopyridines or related cyclic amidines to construct fused bridgehead-nitrogen pyrimidines.
2-Methyl-3-cyano-4H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidin-4-ones 1962 J. Org. Chem., 1962, 27, 1371–1374
10.1021/jo01051a058 		Strongly supported No earlier report of the 2-methyl-3-cyano-4H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidin-4-one series has been located in the earlier literature examined.
Three-component hexahydroquinoline synthesis — the Antaki synthesis 1963 J. Chem. Soc., 1963, 4877–4879
10.1039/JR9630004877 		Established First reported synthesis of the ethyl 4-aryl-1,4,5,6,7,8-hexahydro-2-methyl-5-oxoquinoline-3-carboxylate series by condensation of cyclohexane-1,3-dione, aromatic aldehydes and ethyl β-aminocrotonate. The method was later named the Antaki synthesis (DOI).
Three-component 9-aryldecahydro-1,8-dioxoacridine route 1963 J. Chem. Soc., 1963, 4877–4879
10.1039/JR9630004877 		Strongly supported Antaki reported the three-component route from aromatic aldehydes, cyclohexane-1,3-dione and ammonium acetate. The paper explicitly notes that the phenyl product itself had previously been prepared by a more tedious route; the contribution here is the synthetic method rather than priority for the acridinedione scaffold.
9,10-Diaryl-1,8-dioxodecahydroacridines 1965 J. Chem. Soc., 1965, 2263–2264
10.1039/JR9650002263 		Established Antaki extended the 1963 aldehyde/cyclohexane-1,3-dione condensation from ammonium acetate to aromatic amines, producing the 9,10-diaryl-1,8-dioxodecahydroacridine series.
Naphthindenoquinolines 1967 J. Chem. Soc. C, 1967, 1581–1582
10.1039/J39670001581 		Established Antaki states explicitly that “the naphthindenoquinolines have not been reported” and reports their synthesis.
7-Phenyl-8H-benz[h]indeno[1,2-b]quinoline 1967 J. Chem. Soc. C, 1967, 1581–1582
10.1039/J39670001581 		Strongly supported Antaki completed the Wolff–Kishner reduction of the corresponding 8-oxo precursor to the 8H compound. No earlier synthesis has been located in the literature examined.

Scope of the record

This table is intentionally limited to contributions for which a defensible priority finding can be made. It is not a complete catalogue of every compound reported in Antaki's eight papers. Detailed structures, experimental conditions, later citations, patent use and scientific reception are documented on the individual subject pages.