Base‐mediated 1,4‐Conjugate Addition/Intramolecular 5‐ exo‐dig Annulation of Propargylamines with Benzoylacetonitriles and β ‐Keto Esters for Polysubstituted Furans and Furo[3,4‐ c ]coumarins Formation

Recent advances in the application of β-ketonitriles as multifunctional intermediates in organic chemistry

This review discusses the diverse applications of β-ketonitriles in organic synthesis, highlighting protocols that generate various compounds, including cyclic hydrocarbons, aromatic compounds, heterocycles, spirocycles, and fused heterocycles. These compounds serve as valuable building blocks for biologically active scaffolds like chromenes, quinolines, and natural products. It provides an overview of 69 research articles published from 2014 to 2023, focusing on reactions involving benzoyl acetonitrile derivatives and other β-ketonitriles. The methodologies include cascade, domino, and sequential reactions facilitated by different catalysts, showcasing the versatility of β-ketonitriles in organic chemistry.

Copper-Catalyzed Three-Component Tandem Cyclization for One-Pot Synthesis of Indole-Benzofuran Bis-Heterocycles

A one-pot, three-component synthesis of indole-benzofuran bis-heterocycles from terminal alkynes, salicylaldehydes, and indoles has been developed via copper-catalyzed tandem annulation. This catalytic system utilizes readily available starting materials, enabling predictable synthesis of indole-benzofuran bis-heterocycles with broad substrate versatility, excellent regiocontrol, and gram-scale amenability. The reaction proceeds via a sequential pathway involving A3 coupling, 1,4-conjugate addition, and 5-exo-dig cyclization.

Base-Mediated Cascade Lactonization/1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition Pathway for the One-Pot Assembly of Coumarin-Functionalized Pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines

An elegant and highly concise strategy for the construction of coumarin-functionalized pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines from available propargylamines and isoquinolinium N-ylides has been disclosed. In this reaction, isoquinolinium N-ylides acted as a C2 synthon to form a coumarin ring as well as a 1,3-dipole to construct a pyrrole ring in a single pot. This cascade process involves 1,4-conjugate addition/lactonization/1,3-dipolar cycloaddition to construct four chemical bonds (one C-O bond and three C-C bonds) and two new heterocyclic skeletons. Additionally, most of these compounds showed good fluorescence properties and exhibited high molar extinction coefficient and large Stokes shifts.

Synthesis of arene-functionalized fused heterocyclic scaffolds via a regioselective cascade 1,4-conjugate addition/5-exo-dig annulation strategy

Facile access to furan fused heterocyclic scaffolds through a regioselective cascade reaction of propargylamines with 4-hydroxy-2H-pyran-2-ones and 4-hydroxy-6-methylpyridin-2(1H)-one has been achieved. This cascade reaction presumably involves the formation of ortho-alkynyl quinone methide (o-AQM), 1,4-conjugate addition, followed by regioselective 5-exo-dig annulation, and a 1,3-H shift process. Moreover, the reaction provides a new and efficient method for the synthesis of highly sterically congested 3-phenolic furo[3,2-c]pyran-4-ones and furo[3,2-c]pyridin-4(5H)-ones by the formation of a furan ring from readily available starting materials in good to high yields (50-82%) with broad functional group compatibility in a single step. Significantly, the strategy described here is easily scalable and several useful synthetic transformations of the prepared arene-functionalized 4H-furo[3,2-c]pyran-4-ones were also performed.

Lewis Acid-Catalyzed 1,4-Addition and Annulation of 4-Hydroxy-coumarins with o-Hydroxyphenyl Propargyl Amines: Entry to Regio-Selective Synthesis of Furano[3,2-c]coumarins and Pyrano[3,2-c]coumarins

A facile and regioselective Lewis acid-catalyzed cascade annulation of o-hydroxyphenyl propargyl amines with 4-hydroxycoumarin to afford furano[3,2-c]coumarin and pyrano[3,2-c]coumarin derivatives is reported. The reaction presumably proceeds by the conjugate addition of 4-hydroxycoumarin to the in situ-generated alkynyl o-quinone methide and is followed by intramolecular 5-exo-dig and 6-endo-dig annulation to form furano[3,2-c]coumarins and pyrano[3,2-c]coumarins, respectively. The prepared o-hydroxyl substituted pyrano[3,2-c]coumarins could be readily transformed into the corresponding coumarin-derived dioxabicycles by acid-mediated cyclization.

Radical-Induced Cascade Annulation/Hydrocarbonylation for Construction of 2-Aryl-4H-chromen-4-ones

A robust metal- and solvent-free cascade radical-induced C-N cleavage/intramolecular 6-endo-dig annulation/hydrocarbonylation for the synthesis of the valuable 2-aryl-4H-chromen-4-ones is described. This practical synthesis strategy utilizes propargylamines and air as the oxygen source and green carbonylation reagent, in which propargylamines are activated by the inexpensive and available dimethyl 2,2'-azobis(2-methylpropionate) (AIBME) and (PhSe)2 as the radical initiators. This simple and green protocol features wide substrate adaptability, good functional group tolerance, and amenability to scaling up and derivatizations.

Copper-Catalyzed Cascade Annulation of o-Hydroxyphenyl Propargylamines with Pyrazolin-5-ones to Access Pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazoles

An efficient copper-catalyzed cascade annulation of o-hydroxyphenyl propargylamines and pyrazolin-5-ones is described. This methodology leads to the rapid assembly of a series of valuable pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazoles with good yields across a wide range of substrates in a simple fashion. This novel reaction involves the formation of alkynyl ortho-quinone methides, a 1,4-conjugate addition, and a subsequent 6-endo cyclization process. The mechanistic elucidation is well supported by control experiment and literature precedents.

Cascade Lactonization/Benzannulation of Propargylamines with Dimethyl 3-Oxoglutarate for Modular Assembly of Hydroxylated/Arene-Functionalized Benzo[c]chromen-6-ones

A DBU-mediated cascade strategy of propargylamines with dimethyl 3-oxoglutarate for constructing a functionalized benzo[c]chromen-6-one core has been achieved. This cascade process presumably involves a sequence of 1,4-conjugate addition, followed by lactonization, alkyne-allene isomerization, enol-keto tautomerization, 6π-electrocyclization, and aromatization. This protocol features mild reaction conditions, simple operation, rich structural diversity, and good functional group tolerance. A photophysical survey reveals that the benzo[c]chromen-6-one products exhibit fluorescence properties and show potential for exploring fluorescent material applications.

A cascade double 1,4-addition/intramolecular annulation strategy for expeditious assembly of unsymmetrical dibenzofurans

Existing synthetic routes for accessing dibenzofuran core have intrinsic regioselectivity, limiting the substitution patterns available in heteropolycyclic arene products. Here we report a double 1,4-conjugate addition/intramolecular annulation cascade reaction between propargylamines and two equivalents of imidazolium methylides that allows efficient access of structurally versatile dibenzofurans. This transition metal-free protocol proceeds smoothly under bench-top air atmosphere and offers easy manipulation of substituents on the dibenzofuran core, and also provides good-to-excellent product yields with good functional group tolerance, particularly the -Br and -Cl groups which are often incompatible with existing metal-catalyzed C-C and/or C-O bond ring-forming processes. It is worth noting that ladder-type π-systems with all-arene quarternary carbon structure can be straightforwardly generated upon simple late-stage functionalization.

Access to 4-Alkenylated Coumarins via Ruthenium-Catalyzed Olefinic C-H Alkenylation of Coumarins with Modifiable and Removable Directing Groups

The ruthenium-catalyzed activation of the C4 position of coumarins for coupling with acrylates was described using modifiable ketone as a directing group. The alkenylation reaction provided a direct approach to prepare previously inaccessible 4-alkenylated coumarins with operational simplicity and high atom-economy. This protocol also worked well with coumarin-3-carboxylic acids to unveil a rare instance of a tandem alkenylation/decarboxylation reaction. The potential value of this approach was further highlighted by the efficient synthesis of several heterocyclic fused coumarin derivatives.

Synthesis of Tetrasubstituted Furans through One-Pot Formal [3 + 2] Cycloaddition Utilizing [1,2]-Phospha-Brook Rearrangement

An efficient method for the synthesis of tetrasubstituted furans was developed by utilizing the [1,2]-phospha-Brook rearrangement under Brønsted base catalysis. The two-step one-pot formal [3 + 2] cycloaddition involves the nucleophilic addition of a propargyl anion, which is catalytically generated through the [1,2]-phospha-Brook rearrangement, to an aldehyde and the subsequent intramolecular cyclization mediated by N-iodosuccinimide to provide 2,4,5-trisubstituted-3-iodofurans. The present method with readily available substrates provides new access to a wide range of well-organized tetrasubstituted furans.

Base-Mediated Tunable Synthesis of 2-Trifluoromethylated Furans and Dihydrofuranols: Extraordinary Stable in Sulfuric Acid

2-Trifluoromethylated furans and dihydrofuranols were tunably synthesized from the cyclization of β-ketonitriles with 3-bromo-1,1,1-trifluoroacetone mediated by bases. In addition, dehydration of dihydrofuranol compounds with concentrated sulfuric acid gave another 2-(trifluoromethyl)furans isomer. The developed methodology exhibits an excellent functional group tolerance for both aromatic and aliphatic β-ketonitriles.

Controllable construction of isoquinolinedione and isocoumarin scaffolds via RhIII-catalyzed C–H annulation of N-tosylbenzamides with diazo compounds

An efficient protocol for the synthesis of isoquinolinediones by Rh^III-catalyzed C–H activation/annulation/decarboxylation of N-tosylbenzamides with diazo compounds is reported.

A ZnI2-catalyzed regioselective cascade 1,4-conjugate addition/5-exo-dig annulation pathway for one-pot access to heterobiaryl frameworks

Facile access to π-extended heterobiaryl compounds via a non-cross-coupling strategy has been achieved.