1,3-Dimethylbarbituric acid (N,N-dimethylbarbituric acid) is an analog of barbituric acid having a methyl group on each of the two nitrogen atoms. It is an intermediate in chemical synthesis, being easily formed by a condensation reaction of 1,3-dimethylurea and malonic acid. A notable application of that reaction and subsequent steps is Emil Fischer's first total synthesis of caffeine. The methylene group (CH2) is fairly acidic, being alpha to two carbonyl groups, and undergoes Knoevenagel condensation reactions with aldehydes and ketones and also acylation reactions. The 1,3-dimethylbarbituric acid substructure motif has found application in several compounds that have cytotoxic properties against cancer cells.
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