Lewis acid-catalyzed chemo- and stereoselective addition of pyrroles to skipped diynones: en route to novel pyrrole-based ketocyanine dyes and alkyne-tethered enones

Abstract

The first chemo- and stereoselective syntheses of hitherto unknown pyrrole-based β,β′-disubstituted ketocyanine dyes and alkyne-tethered enones through Lewis acid-catalyzed addition of pyrroles to skipped diynones (penta-1,4-diyn-3-ones) are described. The protocols feature a good substrate tolerance, mild reaction conditions, and high yields of target products. A wide synthetic utility of synthesized alkyne-tethered enones as novel building blocks is demonstrated by the synthesis of diverse pyrrole-containing compounds. The UV–vis absorption properties for selected representatives of novel adducts are studied to preliminary access their potential as photoinitiators/sensitizers in visible light induced polymerization.