Tandem one-pot synthesis of polysubstituted NH-pyrroles involving the palladium-catalyzed intramolecular oxidative amination of the zinc bromide complex of β-enamino esters

The Pd-catalyzed oxidative olefin amination of the zinc bromide complex intermediate, formed by the sequential reaction of nitriles with a Reformatsky reagent and 1-alkynes, affords pyrrole derivatives in good to excellent yields. This tandem protocol provides a simple, efficient, and atom- and pot-economical way to quickly build polysubstituted NH-pyrroles starting from readily available reagents in a regiocontrolled manner with a broad substrate scope and high functional group tolerance. In contrast, the Pd-catalyzed oxidative olefin amination of an isolated α-vinyl-β-enamino ester did not proceed effectively, but the reaction efficiency can be restored by addition of n-BuZnBr or Zn(OAc)₂, indicating the crucial role of the zinc complex in this transformation. The synthetic utility of this protocol is exemplified by the rapid synthesis of pyrrolophenanthrenes and pyranopyrrolones through selective Pd- and Cu-catalyzed C-C and C-O bond-forming reactions.