Lewis acid-mediated conjugate addition of vinyl azides to electron-deficient alkenes led to the efficient construction of 1-pyrroline skeletons. The reactions of vinyl azides with 3-alkylidene-2-oxoindolines afford 3',4'-dihydrospiro[indoline-3,2'-pyrrol]-2-ones in a diastereoselective fashion, whereas those with dimethyl 2-alkylidenemalonates provide 4,5-dihydro-3H-pyrroles.

A highly efficient Cu-catalyzed ring expansion reaction of 2H-azirines with terminal alkynes has been developed. This transformation provides a powerful method for the synthesis of 3-alkynyl polysubstituted pyrroles under mild conditions in good yields. The direct transformation process, specific selectivity, and good tolerance to a variety of substituents make it an alternative approach to the...

A new reaction model, tandem Michael addition/formal isocyanide insertion into the acyl C-C bond, has been developed. Thus, a series of 2-acylpyrroles and seven-/eight-membered ring fused pyrroles were synthesized from the reaction of methyl isocyanides with enones in a single operation.

Irradiation of vinylogous amide or imide 5 (R = H, alkyl, or Ac) leads to the selective formation of either crossed photoadduct 7 (R = Ac) or parallel photoadduct 8 (R = H or alkyl) as a function of the nature of the group R. The latter result leads to a novel approach to the synthesis of pyrroles, that is, 8'.

A total of 19 alkylated heterocycles (thiophenes, benzothiophenes, pyrroles, furans) were prepared (36-99% yield) from the respective pyridin-2-yl-substituted precursors employing alkylboronic acids as the C-H alkylating reagents in an oxidative (Ag2CO3 and 2,6-dimethyl-1,4-benzoquinone as oxidants) Pd-catalysed coupling reaction.

A base-catalyzed cycloisomerization of 5-cyano-pentyne bearing a terminal alkyne group has been developed under metal-free conditions. This reaction involves a tandem process providing efficient access to 3-cyano-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrroles in good to excellent yields in an atom-economic manner with 1,3-cyano migration as the key transformation.

The reaction of zirconium(IV) porphyrinogen with water yields a dinuclear complex in which one mu-oxo ligand bridges two Zr(IV) centres, and two protons are bound to the alpha carbons of two porphyrinogen pyrroles. The reaction establishes the utility of the porphyrinogen macrocycle as a storage site for protons as well as electrons.