Synthesis of indolizine-1-carboxylates through the Ortoleva-King reaction of 2-pyridylacetate followed by the Aldol condensation under mild reaction conditions has been described. This protocol is compatible with a broad range of functional groups, and it has been also successfully extended to unsaturated ketones, bringing about the regioselective formation of benzoyl-substituted indolizines through Michael addition followed by C-N bond formation, which are difficult to prepare by previous methods in a single step.
Synthesis of Functionalized Indolizines via Copper-Catalyzed Annulation of 2-Alkylazaarenes with α,β-Unsaturated Carboxylic Acids
A novel copper-catalyzed annulation of 2-alkylazaarenes with alpha,beta-unsaturated carboxylic acids has been accomplished. This reaction featuring C-H olefination and decarboxylative amination processes provides a concise access to C-2 arylated indolizines from simple and readily available starting materials.