One-pot synthesis of γ-lactams from ketoaziridines

The remarkable biological activities of γ-lactams have stimulated the search for efficient synthetic methods to achieve these scaffolds. In this work, we have developed a simple one-pot diastereoselective synthesis of new γ-lactams from ketoaziridines with moderate to good yields via the Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons reaction, followed by an intramolecular ester-aziridine cyclization and its opening in situ. Preliminary efforts towards an enantioselective version of this method are also reported.