Synthesis, structure, and antiviral properties of novel 2-adamantyl-5-aryl-2H-tetrazoles

[Image: see text] The reaction of 5-aryl-NH-tetrazoles with adamantan-1-ol in concentrated sulfuric acid proceeds regioselectively with the formation of the corresponding 2-adamantyl-5-aryl-2H-tetrazoles. Nitration of these compounds leads to 2-(adamantan-1-yl)-5-(3-nitroaryl)-2Htetrazoles. The structures and composition of the obtained novel 2-adamantyl-5-aryltetrazoles were proven by IR spectroscopy, (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy, high-resolution mass spectrometry, and also by X-ray structural analysis. According to the simultaneous thermal analysis data, the obtained compounds are thermally stable up to a temperature of about 150°C. In vitro studies have shown that some of the 2-adamantyl-5-aryltetrazoles exhibit moderate inhibitory activity against influenza A (H1N1) virus. The antiviral selectivity index (SI) of 2-[2-(adamantan-1-yl)-2H-tetrazol-5-yl]-6-bromo-4-nitroaniline is significantly higher (SI 11) than that of the reference drug rimantadine (SI 5). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10593-021-02931-5.