Naphthalenic ligands have a high affinity for the melatonin receptors. 1 Agomelatin (N-[2-(7- methoxynaphth-1-yl) ethy] acetamide (1), a naphthalene analog of melatonin, is both an agonist of human cloned melatonergic MT1 and MT2 receptors and a serotonin 5-HT2C receptor antagonist. 2 7-methoxy-1-naphthylacetic acid (2), which is a key intermediate1 for the synthesis of compound 1, has recently been reported3 in three steps from 7-methoxy-1 ...
