Gold-catalyzed oxidation of terminal alkynes to glyoxals and their reactions with 2-phenylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridines: one-pot synthesis of 1,2-diones

A novel one-pot protocol for the convenient and efficient synthesis of (2-phenylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-3-yl)alkane-1,2-diones (3) in good yields (32-88%) from 2-phenylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridines (1) and terminal alkynes (2) has been established with a wide range of substrate scope. A tandem reaction sequence containing gold-catalyzed double oxidations of terminal alkynes to generate glyoxals, nucleophilic addition of 2-phenylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridines to glyoxals to yield α-hydroxyl ketones, and oxygenation of the α-hydroxyl ketones to afford the final products 3 under air atmosphere is involved in this method. Simple operation, mild reaction conditions, and widely available substrates make this strategy more affordable.

Dual Role of Glyoxal in Metal-Free Dicarbonylation Reaction: Synthesis of Symmetrical and Unsymmetrical Dicarbonyl Imidazoheterocycles

A practical and efficient method has been developed for the dicarbonylation of imidazoheterocycles using glyoxals as dicarbonyl precursors under metal-free conditions in acetic acid. A series of symmetrical and unsymmetrical dicarbonyl imidazoheterocycles was synthesized in good yields. Aryl and alkyl glyoxals also demonstrated excellent reactivity under similar reaction conditions and delivered corresponding dicarbonyl imidazoheterocycles in high yields. It is believed that the glyoxal plays a dual role both as a dicarbonyl source and as an oxidant in this transformation. A probable mechanistic pathway has been proposed based on control experiments and electrospray ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry analysis.