Synthesis of Pyrroles through the CuH-Catalyzed Coupling of Enynes and Nitriles

Abstract

Herein, we describe an efficient method to prepare polysubstituted pyrroles via a copper hydride (CuH)-catalyzed enyne-nitrile coupling reaction. This protocol accommodates both aromatic and aliphatic substituents and a broad range of functional groups, providing a variety of N-H pyrroles in good yields and with high regioselectivity. We propose that the Cu-based catalyst promotes both the initial reductive coupling and subsequent cyclization steps. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to elucidate the reaction mechanism.