A variety of imidazo[1,5-a]-1,3,5-triazine derivatives carrying C-, O-, and S-benzyl and/or 4-methylbenzyl groups were synthesized and examined for their inhibitory effects on the replication of ortho- and paramyxoviruses. The key compounds 8-R-2-thioxo-2,3-dihydroimidazo [1,5-a]-1,3,5-triazin-4(1H)-ones 3a,b,d were synthesized by chlorotrimethylsilane/HMDS-effected cyclization--rearrangement of the corresponding 6-amino-5-(formylamino)-5-R-2-mercaptopyrimidin-4(5H)-ones 2a,b,d (R = benzyl, 4-methylbenzyl and 5-(benzyloxy)pentyl). Compounds 3a,b were further transformed into 4-thiones 5a,b and 4-dimethylamino derivatives 7a,b. Preparation of S-methyl, S-benzyl, and S-(4-methylbenzyl) derivatives 12-19 was carried out by the treatment of thioxo compounds 3b,d, 5b, and 8b in an alcohol/potassium carbonate system with methyl iodide or the appropriate aralkyl bromide. Simultaneous presence of the benzyl and thio structural units was found to be indispensable for any selective biological activity. Some 2-thio substituted compounds were specifically inhibitory to some viruses, e.g., 8-(4-methylbenzyl)-2-[(4-methylbenzyl) thio]imidazo[1,5-a]-1,3,5-triazin-4-one (13) and 8-[5-(benzyloxy)pentyl]-2-[(4-methylbenzyl)thio]imidazo [1,5-a]-1,3,5-triazin-4-one (15) inhibited influenza A virus at a concentration of 4.1 and 5.3 microM, and 2-(benzylthio)-6, 8-dimethylimidazo[1,5-a]-1,3,5-triazin-4-one (16) and 6, 8-dimethyl-2-[(4-methylbenzyl)thio]imidazo[1,5-a]1,3, 5-triazin-4-one (17) inhibited respiratory syncytial virus at a concentration of 21.9 and 15.7 microM, respectively, that is, at concentrations that were 20-50-fold lower than the cytotoxic concentrations. Compound 13 was inhibitory to respiratory syncytial virus at a concentration of 1.4 microM, that is, at a concentration that was 180-fold lower than the cytotoxic concentration to MDCK or Vero cells but only 7-fold lower than the cytotoxic concentration to HeLa cells. The 4-thiones 5a,b were nonselectively inhibitory to ortho-and paramyxoviruses at concentrations that coincided with their cytotoxic concentrations.