Cu(I)-Catalyzed [2 + 2 + 1] Cycloaddition of Amines, Alkynes, and Ketenes: An Umpolung and Regioselective Approach to Full-Substituted β-Pyrrolinones

Theoretical Insight into the Mechanism of Cu(I)-Catalyzed [2 + 2 + 1] Cycloaddition to β-Pyrrolinones: Azaheterocycle Formation and Assisted Dehydrogenation with Solvent MeNO2

The construction of multisubstituted β-pyrrolinones from simple starting materials remains a great challenge. Recently, a novel Cu(I)-catalyzed [2 + 2 + 1] cycloaddition reaction was developed for rapid access to fully substituted β-pyrrolinones, which are difficult to synthesize through traditional methods as this approach may involve unusual C-nucleophilic addition of enamines and umpolung of imines. Elucidating the reaction mechanism may inspire the development of new methodologies via the unusual C-nucleophilic addition of enamines and imines. However, the reaction mechanism is still unclear because none of the intermediates was observed during the reaction process. In this work, we employed theoretical and computational chemistry to investigate the possible pathway. Finally, the calculated results indicate that ketene formed by the Wolff rearrangement of α-diazo-β-ketoester reacts with enamine formed by the addition of alkynes and amine, affording the five-membered azaheterocycle, and this process involves the formation of a six-membered ring intermediate and sequential isomerization, and the further dehydrogenation needs to be assisted with solvent MeNO₂.

Lewis Acid-Relayed Singlet Oxygen Reaction with Enamines: Selective Dimerization of Enamines to Pyrrolin-4-ones

Singlet oxygen (¹O₂)-mediated oxidation represents an attractive strategy for incorporation of oxygen atoms from air under mild and environmentally benign conditions. However, the ¹O₂ reaction with enamine suffers from fragmentation, leading to very unsuccessful transformation. Here, Lewis acid is introduced to intercept [2 + 2] or "ene" reaction intermediates of the ¹O₂ reaction and enables oxidative dimerization of enamines to produce pyrrolin-4-ones in good to excellent yields. Mechanistic studies reveal the formation of the imino ketone intermediate from the interaction of ¹O₂ and enamine, which is able to interact with Lewis acid, relaying the ¹O₂ reaction in enamine chemistry. For the first time, selective cross-dimerization of two different enamines is achieved. Due to the advantages of mild conditions, high chemoselectivity, and up to 99% yield, a promising strategy has been developed for synthesizing aza-heterocycles under ambient conditions, which can be further applied for the synthesis of imidazolone, quinoxaline, and highly functionalized imine.

Synthesis of Trisubstituted Oxazoles via Aryne Induced [2,3] Sigmatropic Rearrangement-Annulation Cascade

A transition-metal-free, [2,3] sigmatropic rearrangement-annulation cascade of 2-substituted thio/amino acetonitriles with arynes allowing the synthesis of 2,4,5-trisubstituted oxazoles under mild conditions has been demonstrated. The key sulfur/nitrogen ylides were generated by the initial S/N arylation followed by proton transfer, which was followed by the selective [2,3] sigmatropic rearrangement involving the -CN moiety and a subsequent annulation to afford the desired products in reasonable yields.

Synthesis of Pyrrolidin-5-one-2-carboxamides through Cyclization of N-Substituted-2-alleneamides

The synthesis of pyrrolidin-5-one-2-carboxamides 6a-p has been developed via a one-pot Ugi reaction of allenic acids, primary amines, isocyanides, and aldehydes followed by regioselective cyclization of the resultant N-substituted-2-allenamides with KOt-Bu at room temperature. The cyclization reaction was carried out through a 5-exo-dig approach, which resulted in good yields and high atom-economy under transition-metal-free and mild reaction conditions.

An umpolung strategy for intermolecular [2 + 2 + 1] cycloaddition of aryl aldehydes and nitriles: a facile access to 2,4,5-trisubstituted oxazoles

We have described the first example of an umpolung strategy for intermolecular [2 + 2 + 1] cycloaddition between two aryl aldehydes and a nitrile under the influence of TMSOTf that proceeds through the formation of N–C, O–C and C–C bonds providing a simple synthetic protocol for obtaining 2,4,5-trisubstituted oxazoles.

An unprecedented intermolecular [2 + 2 + 1] cycloaddition strategy between two aryl aldehydes and a nitrile, wherein one of the aryl aldehydes serves as a carbanion (or equivalent) in the presence of TMSOTf for obtaining oxazole framework is presented.

Cascade Wolff Rearrangement/Acylation: A Metal-Free and Eco-Friendly Approach for 4-Hydroxy-pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridin-6-ones and N-Pyrazole Amides Synthesis from 5-Aminopyrazoles and α-Diazoketones

A highly chemoselective cascade Wolff rearrangement/acylation reaction between 5-aminopyrazoles and diazo compounds has been developed. The protocol can facilitate the switchable synthesis of 4-hydroxy-pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridin-6-ones and N-pyrazole amides with the merits of a broad substrate scope, high functional group compatibility, and green and sustainable performance manner. All reactions proceeded efficiently without any catalyst and additives (acid and base) and resulted in the release of benign N₂, wherein diethyl carbonate served as a green benign solvent.

Multicomponent Reactions Involving Diazo Reagents: A 5-Year Update

This review summarizes recent developments in multicomponent reactions of diazo compounds. The role of diazo reagent and the type of interaction between components was analyzed to structure the discussion. In contrast to previous reviews on related topics mostly focused on metal catalyzed transformations, a substantial amount of organocatalytic or catalyst-free methodologies is covered in this work.