As part of a search for new antifolic, antimalarial, and antitumor agents, a series of 2,4-diamino-9H-indeno[2,1d]pyrimidines was prepared by condensation of guanidine with substituted 2-alkoxy-3-cyano-lKindenes. Base-catalyzed cyclization of 1,2-bis(cyanomethyl)benzenes afforded 2-amino-3-cyano-lH-indenes, which were converted into 3-cyano-2-methoxy-Uindenes by acid hydrolysis and treatment of the resultant 1-cyano-2-indanones with diazomethane. Alternatively, 2-amino-3-cyano-M-indenes could be transformed directly into 2-ethoxy-3-cyano-M-indenes by reaction with ethanol and sulfuric acid. The 2,4diamino-9H-indeno[2,1-d]pyrimidines represent a new type of planar, tricyclic pyrimethamine analog, in which free rotation of the phenyl and pyrimidine rings is prevented by means of a methylene bridge.As part of a larger chemical and biological program involving polycyclic 2,4-diaminopyrimidines (2), we recently reported the synthesis (3-5) and growth-inhibitory properties (6) of 1,3-diaminobenzolf ]quinazolines (I, X = -CH=CH-) and 1,3-diamino-5,6-dihydrobenzolflquinazolines (I, X = -CH2CH2-). These tricyclic systems are of considerable interest as structural analogs of pyrimethamine (11), a well-known antifolic agent which has been used clinically for a number of years in the treatment of malaria (7). Additional interest in these analogs was provided by the experimental antitumor activity reported for the closely related 2,4diamino-5-(3',4'-dichlorophenyl)-6-methylpyrimidine (111) (8). I 11 R = CH,, R = 4'43 111 R' = H, R = 3', 4'-C1,