Volume 63, Issue 12 e202318072
Research Article

Rhodium-Catalyzed One-Carbon Ring Expansion of Aziridines with Vinyl-N-triftosylhydrazones for the Synthesis of 2-Vinyl Azetidines

Yongquan Ning

Yongquan Ning

Department of Chemistry, Northeast Normal University, 130024 Changchun, China

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Hongzhu Chen

Hongzhu Chen

Department of Chemistry, Northeast Normal University, 130024 Changchun, China

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Yongyue Ning

Yongyue Ning

Department of Chemistry, Northeast Normal University, 130024 Changchun, China

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Jin Zhang

Jin Zhang

Department of Chemistry, Northeast Normal University, 130024 Changchun, China

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Prof. Xihe Bi

Corresponding Author

Prof. Xihe Bi

Department of Chemistry, Northeast Normal University, 130024 Changchun, China

State Key Laboratory of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, Nankai University, 300071 Tianjin, China

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First published: 28 January 2024
Citations: 6

Graphical Abstract

A general skeletal ring expansion strategy for the direct conversion of aziridines into 2-vinyl azetidines via one-carbon insertion using vinyl-N-triftosylhydrazones is described. The method is scalable, tolerates diverse functional groups, and is amenable to the synthesis of medicinally relevant molecules.

Abstract

Azetidines, being four-membered N-heterocycles, possess significant potential in contemporary medicinal chemistry owing to their favorable pharmacokinetic properties. Regrettably, the incorporation of functionalized azetidines into pharmaceutical lead structures has been impeded by the absence of efficient synthetic methods for their synthesis. In this study, a Rh-catalyzed one-carbon ring expansion of aziridines with vinyl-N-triftosylhydrazones is presented, which facilitates the synthesis of high value-added 2-alkenyl azetidine products. This research represents the first example of ring expansion of aziridines enabled by vinyl carbenes. Additionally, a one-pot two-step protocol, initiated from cinnamaldehyde, was successfully achieved, offering a step-economical and facile approach for the synthesis of these compounds. The pivotal aspect of this successful transformation lies in the in situ formation of an alkenyl aziridinium ylide intermediate. Experimental investigations, coupled with computational studies, suggest that a diradical pathway is involved in the reaction mechanism.

Conflict of interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available in the supplementary material of this article.

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