RESUMEN
The synthesis of 2-substituted-N-(2-diethylaminoethyl)acetamide oxalates (6a, 6b) and the evaluation of their in vivo local anaesthetic activities are described. The compounds 6a and 6b were obtained starting from 4-acetamidophenol and 1-naphthol, respectively. The in vivo local anesthetic activity was evaluated by infiltration anaesthesia, sciatic nerve block and corneal anaesthesia models. N-(2-Diethylaminoethyl)-2-(naphthalen-1-yloxy)acetamide oxalate (6b) was found to have potency, onset and duration of action comparable to that of lidocaine (2) (lidocaine hydrochloride, CAS 6108-05-0). Procaine (1) (procaine hydrochloride, CAS 51-05-8) was also used for comparison. Dissociation constants (pKa) of compounds 5a and 5b (2-substituted-N-(2-diethylaminoethyl)acetamide) have been determined to be 8.9 and 8.6, respectively.