A catalytic oxidative carbonylation reaction was developed for the synthesis of polysubstituted maleimides from alkynes and amines with air as a green oxidant. This novel transformation proceeds in the presence of palladium chloride without the need for expensive ligands or additives and has a broad substrate scope affording a variety of maleimides in good to high yields.
A selective and efficient procedure for the carbonylative synthesis of polysubstituted maleimides was developed. With rhodium as the catalyst and acetylacetone (acac) as the ligand, various desired maleimide derivatives were isolated in moderate to excellent yields with good functional group tolerance from the corresponding internal alkynes and anilines.
Intermolecular [2 + 2 + 1] cocyclization of isocyanates, alkynes, and CO (1 atm) proceeded smoothly in the presence of a catalytic amount of Ru3(CO)12 (3.3 mol %) in mesitylene at 130 degrees C for 3 approximately 42 h to give a variety of polysubstituted maleimides in excellent yields with high selectivity. The reaction may involve an azaruthenacyclopentenone intermediate derived from oxidative cyclization of an isocyanate and an alkyne on an active ruthenium species.
Almstroem, Justus Liebigs Annalen der Chemie, 1918, vol. 416, p. 285