Ugi Four-Center Three-Component Reaction as a Direct Approach to Racetams

Abstract

We report the synthesis of racetams, a diverse class of small molecule drugs, by means of the Ugi four-center three-component reaction (U4C-3CR). For the first time, γ-aminobutyric acid is employed as bifunctional input in the Ugi reaction. This protocol is simple, general, and allows one-pot access to a range of drugs and bioactive small molecules.