Iridium-catalyzed [5+1] cyclization of terminal alkynes with CF3-imidoyl sulfoxonium ylides to construct 2-trifluoroquinolines

Abstract

Reported herein is a novel strategy for the synthesis of 2-trifluoroquinolines by iridium-catalyzed [5+1] cyclization of CF3-imidoyl sulfoxonium ylides with terminal alkynes. A series of multi-substituted quinolines were successfully obtained in moderate to high yields under mild reaction conditions, exhibiting good functional group tolerance. Notably, imidoyl sulfoxonium ylides were utilized as five-atom synthons, a novel strategy that enriches the diversity of accessible ring architectures. In addition, the rapid synthesis of TNF-α converting enzyme inhibitor demonstrates the practicality of this method.