This compound can be obtained in two related ways: 1) By reaction of N-(4-pyridyl)-N'-(1,2,2-trimethylpropyl)thiourea (I) with cyanamide (II) by means of dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC) and ethyldiisopropylamine in ether. 2) The reaction of (I) with phosgene in toluene - THF by means of ethyldiisopropylamine in THF gives N-(4-pyridyl)-N'-(1,2,2-trimethylpropyl)carbodiimide (III), which is condensed with (II) by means of ethyldiisopropylamine.
Thiourea (III) was prepared by condensation of 3-pyridyl isothiocyanate (I) with 1,1-dimethylpropyl amine (II). Desulfuration of thiourea (III) by means of phosgene and diisopropyl ethylamine, or triphenylphosphine and CCl4 gave rise to the carbodiimide (IV). Finally, addition of cyanamide to carbodiimide (IV) furnished the target N-cyanoguanidine derivative