Diastereoselective synthesis of 2,3-disubstituted 1-arylazetidines via NaBH4-promoted facile reduction of C-3 functionalized azetidin-2-ones

A facile diastereoselective synthesis of 2,3-disubstituted 1-arylazetidines has been reported via NaBH4-promoted reduction of C-3 functionalized azetidin-2-ones. Since the developed protocol does not involve the use of a Lewis acid, the methodology does not suffer from typical drawbacks of the conventional protocol.