Bicyclic Heterocycles from Levulinic Acid through a Fast and Operationally Simple Diversity‐Oriented Multicomponent Approach

Abstract

Levulinic acid, which is one of the most important renewable building blocks derived from lignocellulosic biomass, has been converted in a diversity‐oriented manner into two families of drug‐like bicyclic nitrogen heterocycles. The methodology, endowed with high step economy and operational simplicity, is based on an Ugi multicomponent reaction, which employs amino alcohols as components, followed by a SN2 cyclization. Noteworthy is the successful synthesis of hexahydro pyrrolodiazepinediones, since the cyclization of the isocyanide‐derived secondary amide onto an alcohol to give a seven‐membered ring was unprecedented. Also enantiopure products have been prepared by using chiral amino alcohols.