Spectroscopic and quantum chemical study of the structure of 4-aminopyrimidinoanthrones

4-Amino derivatives of pyrimidinoanthrone exist in the form of an aminoketone isomer in the crystalline state in neutral organic solutions, but in acid and alkaline media the tautomeric equilibrium is shifted toward formation of ionic forms of the iminohydroxyl tautomer. We present the characteristics of the IR and electronic absorption spectra and quantum chemical calculations for the neutral and ionic forms of the tautomers indicated above. © 1995 Plenum Publishing Corporation.