By blocking thiamine uptake it prevents carbohydrate synthesis.

[citation needed] Despite only moderate efficacy it is well favoured due to few resistance issues and is commonly used in the United States in conjunction with sulfonamides prophylactically in chickens and cattle as a coccidiostat.

[citation needed] Condensation of ethoxymethylenemalononitrile (1) with acetamidine (2) affords the substituted pyrimidine (4).

The reaction may well involve conjugate addition of the amidine nitrogen to the malononitrile followed by loss of ethoxide (3); addition of the remaining amidine nitrogen to one of the nitriles will then lead to the pyrimidine (4).

Exhaustive methylation of the amine followed by displacement of the activated quaternary nitrogen by bromide ion affords the key intermediate (7).