Novel 4-phenyl tetrahydroisoquinolines that inhibit both dopamine and norepinephrine transporters were designed and prepared. In this Letter, we describe the synthesis, in vitro activity and associated structure-activity relationships of this series. We also report the ex vivo NET occupancy of a representative compound, 41.

Development of a cost efficient and scaleable process for 2-quinoxalinecarboxylic acid is described. The primarily goals of the development work were to improve the overall yield of the process, to minimize the use of environmentally unacceptable materials, and to obtain a material with a high level of purity. A variety of approaches were examined, and the most efficient method was a condensation of o-phenylenediamine with a monosaccharide followed by a mild peroxide oxidation.