A versatile PIFA-mediated approach to structurally diverse pyrrolo(benzo)diazepines from linear alkynylamides

The addition of the hypervalent iodine reagent PIFA [phenyliodine(III) bis(trifluoroacetate)] to a series of properly substituted N-(3-aminopropyl)alkynylamides results in the efficient formation of a functionalized 5-aroyl-2-pyrrolidinone skeleton. By proper manipulations of the N(1)-substituents, through consecutive deprotection and/or reductive amination steps, a second cyclization process occurs yielding the target heterocycles. As it will be disclosed, the overall process is open to structural modifications that gives rise to a series of pyrrolo(benzo)diazepine derivatives.