Addition of silylated nucleophiles to α-oxoketenes.

A general evaluation of silylated nucleophiles to intercept transient α-oxoketenes generated by microwave-assisted Wolff rearrangement of 2-diazo-1,3-dicarbonyl compounds is presented. Original scaffolds and synthetic intermediates are accessed in a rapid, efficient and easy-to-handle way. Mechanistic studies by DFT calculations and some post-functionalizations are discussed.

Organocatalytic multicomponent synthesis of enantioenriched polycyclic 1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyridines: key substrate selection enabling regio- and stereoselectivities.

We have developed the first multicomponent synthesis of enantioenriched polycyclic 1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyridines bearing three contiguous stereogenic centers under iminium activation. The key to the success of this reaction was the use of polyfunctional substrates including 2-aminophenols and scarcely used ß-ketoamides triggering a thermodynamically controlled regio- and diastereoselective sequence.