Organic Letters · 2014 · 77 citations · 32 references
Tetrasubstituted imidazoles can be formed in a photochemical one-pot synthesis from aldehydes, α-aminonitriles, and isoxazoles. Condensation of the first two components produces α-(alkylideneamino)nitriles which react under basic conditions with the acylazirines formed in situ by photochemical ring transformation of the isoxazole component. This process includes an unusual cleavage of the C(2)-C(3) bond of the acylazirine. The reaction mechanism was studied by DFT calculations.
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