A Three-Component Catalyst-Free Approach to Regioselective Synthesis of Dual Highly Functionalized Fused Pyrrole Derivatives in Water–Ethanol Media: Thermodynamics versus Kinetics

Abstract

A three-component catalyst-free protocol for the regioselective synthesis of dual highly functionalized fused pyrroles has been developed from a cascade [3 + 2] cyclization of heterocyclic ketene aminals (HKAs) 1 with arylglyoxal monohydrates 2 and cyclohexane-1,3-diones 3 in water–ethanol media. The kinetically controlled products 4 could be synthesized within 1 h but would irreversibly transform to thermodynamically controlled products 5 over an additional 5 h. At the same time, the transformative synthesis of 5a from 4a by controlling the oxygen or nitrogen proved the proposed mechanism. Furthermore, the DFT calculation also corroborated that the stability of products 5 are a 100,000 times more thermodynamically stable than products 4. Finally, the origin of the greater stability of 5 could be explained by the reduced density gradient (RDG) analysis, which hinted that the crucial factors are the formation of a new intramolecular hydrogen bond and the release of the steric effect of the crowded rings. In conclusion, this novel synthetic strategy offers an alternative method using thermodynamic or kinetic control for regioselective construction of biologically meaningful fused pyrrole architectures from a concise, rapid, and environmentally friendly vision.