Certain aryl fused pyrrolopyrimidines; a new class of GABA brain receptor ligands

A compound of the formula:

• ##STR41## wherein:
• X is hydrogen, halogen, or hydroxyl;
• W is
• phenyl, thienyl, or pyridyl;
• phenyl, thienyl, or pyridyl, each of which may be mono or disubstituted with halogen, hydroxy, straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms, amino, mono or dialkylamino where each alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms, or straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1-6 carbon atoms;
• E represents oxygen, sulfur, NH or NMe;
• and
• R.sub.1 and R.sub.4 are the same or different and represent
• hydrogen, halogen, straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms, or straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1-6 carbon atoms.

A compound of the formula:

• ##STR42## X is hydrogen, halogen, or hydroxyl;
• W is
• phenyl, thienyl, or pyridyl;
• phenyl, thienyl, or pyridyl, each of which may be mono or disubstituted with halogen, hydroxy, straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms, amino, mono or dialkylamino where each alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms, or straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1-6 carbon atoms;
• E represents oxygen, sulfur, NH or NMe;
• R.sub.4 is
• hydrogen, halogen, straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms, or straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1-6 carbon atoms;
• and
• R.sub.2 is
• hydrogen, halogen, hydroxy, amino, lower alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms;
• or
• --OR.sub.6, --COR.sub.6, --CO.sub.2 R.sub.6, --OCOR.sub.6, or --R.sub.6, where
• R.sub.6 is hydrogen, phenyl, pyridyl, straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms, or phenylalkyl or pyridylalkyl where each alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms;
• or
• --CONR.sub.7 R.sub.8 or --(CH.sub.2).sub.n NR.sub.7 R.sub.8, where
• n is 0, 1, or 2;
• R.sub.7 represents hydrogen, straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms;
• and
• R.sub.8 is hydrogen, phenyl, pyridyl, straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms, or phenylalkyl or pyridylalkyl where each alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms;
• or
• NR.sub.6 R.sub.7 forms a heterocyclic group which is morpholyl, piperidyl, pyrrolidyl, or N-alkyl piperazyl;
• or
• --C(OH)R.sub.9 R.sub.10 where
• R.sub.9 and R.sub.10 are the same or different and represent straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms, phenyl, or phenylalkyl where each alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1-6 carbon atoms.