Lewis Acid-Catalyzed Intramolecular Cyclization of 7-Alkynylcycloheptatrienes with Carbonyls: Access to 3,4-Disubstituted 2,5-Dihydropyrroles

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a Lewis acid-catalyzed intramolecular cyclization of 7-alkynylcycloheptatrienes with carbonyls. A variety of highly functionalized 2,5-dihydropyrroles were obtained in moderate yields. This protocol straightforwardly led to a solvent-controlled divergent synthesis of 2,5-dihydropyrroles, which may serve as privileged skeletons in drug discovery. Additionally, scale-up reactions and late-stage derivatizations highlight the potential synthetic utility of this methodology.