Simple and Efficient Copper(I)-Catalyzed Access to Three Versatile Aminocoumarin-Based Scaffolds using Isocyanoacetate

One-pot, three-component, iron-catalyzed synthesis of benzimidazoles via domino C-N bond formation

An efficient one-pot, three-component process for the synthesis of benzimidazole derivatives using a catalytic amount of Fe(iii) porphyrin has been developed. The reaction proceeds via domino C-N bond formation and cyclization reactions of benzo-1,2-quinone, aldehydes and ammonium acetate as a nitrogen source to selectively produce benzimidazole. A number of benzimidazole derivatives have been synthesized using this method in high yields under mild reaction conditions.

Copper(i)-catalyzed tandem synthesis of 4,5-functionalized oxazoles from isocyanoacetate and aldehydes

Herein is developed a tandem reaction for the synthesis of a diverse array of 4,5-difunctionalized oxazoles utilizing easily-accessible ethyl 2-isocyanoacetate and aldehydes (26 examples, 31–83% yields).

Synthesis of 2,3,4-trisubstituted pyrrole derivatives via [3 + 2] cyclization of activated methylene isocyanides with 4-(arylidene)-2-substituted oxazol-5(4H)-ones

An efficient base-catalyzed [3 + 2] cyclization between isocyanides and 4-(arylidene)-2-substituted oxazol-5(4H)-ones has been successfully developed to form 2,3,4-trisubstituted and 2,2,3,4-tetrasubstituted pyrrole derivatives.

Three-Component Reactions to Spirocyclic Pyrrolidinonylformimidamides: α-Isocyano Lactams as Two-Atom Unit in Silver-Catalyzed Formal [3 + 2] Cycloaddition Reactions

A facile approach to spirocyclic pyrrolidinonylformimidamides has been developed via three-component reactions of isocyanides, alkenes, and amines. The reaction proceeds through a sequence of two distinct reaction pathways; the base-catalyzed conjugate addition of α-isocyano lactams to electron-deficient alkenes and the Ag(I)-catalyzed amine insertion to the isocyanide moiety. Both reactions display markedly different reaction kinetics, allowing the one-pot three-component reactions to be performed in the presence of respective catalysts, a Brønsted base and a silver salt. The formation of spirocyclic pyrrolidin-2-ones represents an unusual use of α-isocyano lactam as a two-atom unit in a formal [3 + 2] cycloaddition reaction. The successful identification of ways to defy the typical three-atom unit role of α-isocyano carbonyl compounds in the [3 + 2] cycloaddition pathways manifests a rapid assembly of medicinally important spirocyclic scaffolds from readily available starting materials.

Copper-catalyzed cyclization of 2-cyanobenzaldehydes and 2-isocyanoacetates: an efficient strategy for the synthesis of substituted 1-aminoisoquinolines

An efficient strategy for the synthesis of substituted 1-aminoisoquinoline has been developed.

Catalytic Isonitrile Insertions and Condensations Initiated by RNC-X Complexation

Isonitriles are delicately poised chemical entities capable of being coaxed to react as nucleophiles or electrophiles. Directing this tunable reactivity with metal and non-metal catalysts provides rapid access to a large array of complex nitrogenous structures ideally functionalized for medicinal applications. Isonitrile insertion into transition metal complexes has featured in numerous synthetic and mechanistic studies, leading to rapid deployment of isonitriles in numerous catalytic processes, including multicomponent reactions (MCR). Covering the literature from 1990-2014, the present review collates reaction types to highlight reactivity trends and allow catalyst comparison.