[2] This reaction was first discovered in 1947 by Alan H. Cook, Sir Ian Heilbron, and A.L Levy, and marks one of the first examples of 5-aminothiazole synthesis with significant yield and diversity in scope.
[2] In recent years, modifications of the Hantzsch thiazole synthesis are the most common, partly because of its ease in introducing R- group diversity.
However, in 2008 Scott et al. employed a Cook-Heilbron synthesis in their approach to synthesize novel of pyridyl and thiazolyl bisamide CSF-1R inhibitors for use in novel cancer therapeutics.
For instance, 2-methyl-5-aminothiazoles were prepared via condensation and cyclization of aminoacetonitrile and ethyldithioacetate as part of the synthesis of thiazolyl bisamines:[9] Thiazoles are essential components of many biologically active compounds making them important features in drug design.
[10] Consequently, understanding and applying a range of approaches to synthesize thiazoles facilitates greater flexibility in both designing drugs as well as optimizing synthetic routes.