Recent trends in the chemistry of 2-aminobenzothiazoles

The chemistry of 2-aminobenzothiazoles has gained increased interest in both synthetic organic chemistry and biological fields, since a large number of developments in the use of such compounds, covering the literature up to 2007, seem to be of considerable value. The present review presents their synthetic methods and chemical reactions. The reactions are subdivided in groups that cover reactions at the amino substituent without touching the benzene ring and reactions which involve both nitrogen in the formal amidine system to give fused heterocyclic systems. Most imaginable reaction types have been successfully applied and used, as many of the synthesized compounds exhibit interesting biological activity in various fields.