Propargyl amines 4, where R(3) is aryl, undergo 5-exo-dig cyclization reactions under relatively mild conditions (AgNO(3), DMF, 60 °C, 1 h) to give 3-amino-2,3-dihydro-2-arylmethylidenebenzofurans 5 (R(3) = aryl). In contrast, substrates where R(3) is alkyl undergo competing 6-endo-dig and 5-exo-dig cyclization processes. The hydroxymethyl substrate 4 (R(3) = CH(2)OH), however, was smoothly con...

Palladium-catalyzed highly regio- and stereoselective 6-exo-dig and 7-endo-dig cyclization of functionalized propargylic compounds has been developed for the synthesis of (E)-4-(isobenzofuran-1(3H)-ylidene)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines and aze/oxepinoindoles.

Depending on the substitution pattern and the solvent, the gold-catalyzed cyclization of alk-4-yn-1-ones affords different oxygen heterocycles under mild reaction conditions. Alkynones with one substituent at C-3 undergo a 5-exo-dig cycloisomerization to substituted furans , whereas a 6-endo-dig cyclization to 4H-pyrans is observed with substrates bearing two substituents at C-3. In alcoholic s...

Intramolecular nucleophilic and electrophilic cyclization of N-alkyne-substituted pyrrole esters is described. Efficient routes towards the synthesis of pyrrolopyrazinone, pyrrolotriazinone and pyrrolooxazinone have been developed. First, N-alkyne-substituted pyrrole ester derivatives were synthesized. Introduction of various substituents into the alkyne functionality was accomplished by a copp...

Silver-catalyzed tandem acetalization and cycloisomerization reactions were found to lead to various furoquinolines, and a nitrogen effect was noticed for AgOTf reactivity, since the cyclization mode switched from 6-endo-dig to 5-exo-dig; from these observations silver imidazolate polymer is proposed as a stable silver catalyst.

Gold(I) complexes have emerged as powerful and useful catalysts for the formation of new C-C, C-O and C-N bonds. Taking advantage of the specificity of [IPrAuNCMe][SbF6] complexes to favor the 5-exo-dig cyclization over the 6-endo-dig pathway, we report a high yielding and efficient method to generate substituted polyaromatic heterocycles under remarkably mild reaction conditions.

A new copper-catalyzed oxidative ring closure of ethynyl anilides with diaryliodonium salts was developed for the highly modular construction of benzoxazines bearing a fully substituted exo double bond. The oxidative transformation includes an unusual 6-exo-dig cyclization step with the formation of C-O and C-C bonds.

Intramolecular cyclization of nitrogen-tethered alkynyl esters catalyzed by phosphazene organosuperbases P2-tBu and P4-tBu was investigated. Both acyclic and cyclic substrates underwent 5-exo-dig and 5-endo-dig cyclization. This reaction is a rare example of the intramolecular addition of enolates of simple esters to alkynes.

In a simple procedure, the intramolecular hydroarylation of N-propargyl-pyrrole-2-carboxamides was accomplished with the aid of gold(III) catalysis. The reaction led to differently substituted pyrrolo[2,3-c]pyridine and pyrrolo[3,2-c]pyridine derivatives arising either from direct cyclization or from a formal rearrangement of the carboxamide group. Terminal alkynes are essential to achieve bicy...

An enantioselective total synthesis of the Strychnos alkaloid (+)-minfiensine has been accomplished. Prominent features of this synthesis include (i) a new enantioselective organocatalytic Diels-Alder/amine cyclization sequence to build the central tetracyclic pyrroloindoline framework in four steps from commercial materials and (ii) a 6-exo-dig radical cyclization to forge the final piperidiny...