A nitroketene to nitrile oxide transformation
Abstract
2,3-Dihydropyrrole-2,3-diones 1 thermally extrude CO, giving imidoylketenes 2, which cyclse efficiently to 4-quinolones 3; however, the analogous nitro(imidoyl)ketene 5 eliminates CO2 and rearranges to the 3-oximino-3H-indole 9, presumably via an imidoylnitrile oxide 7.