Ruthenium?Catalyzed Decarboxylative Rearrangement of 4?Alkenyl?isoxazol?5?ones to Pyrrole Derivatives

Easy accessible isoxazol-5(4 H )-ones are useful precursors of heterocycles. In this context we report the ruthenium-catalyzed transformation 4-alkenyl-substituted isoxazol-5-ones to afford 1 -pyrrole derivatives. The operative conditions were proven be effective also on cyclohexane-fused isoxazolones giving 4,5,6,7-tetrahydroindoles. Reactions, which allow access tri-and tetra-substituted pyrroles in moderate high yields, occur through decarboxylative ring-opening/ring-closure involving C-H functionalization alkenyl moiety.