Scandium(III)‐Triflate‐Catalyzed Multicomponent Reactions for the Synthesis of Nitrogen Heterocycles

Abstract

AbstractThe need of understanding the interactions between small organic molecules and biological targets has stimulated the development of new methodologies for the synthesis of compounds with potential biological properties. In this scenario, multicomponent reactions have been considered as high atom‐efficient strategies which allow the generation of high levels of molecular diversity and complexity, using relatively simple and eco‐friendly experimental procedures. Among the plethora of catalysts used in multicomponent reactions, rare earth metal triflates, especially scandium(III) triflate [Sc(OTf)3], emerged as water‐resistant Lewis acids with remarkable catalytic activity in water‐containing environments. This review describes the recent progress on the use of scandium(III) triflate as Lewis acid catalyst for multicomponent reactions applied to the synthesis of nitrogen‐containing heterocycles, valuable privileged scaffolds in Organic and Medicinal Chemistry.