Hydrogen-Bond-Assisted Ru(III)-Catalyzed C–C Bond Activation in 1,3-Dicarbonyls: A Direct Route to Multi-Substituted Pyrroles

Abstract

Unprecedented CO–Cα bond cleavage of 1,3-dicarbonyls and enaminone, catalyzed by a well-defined Ru(III)-complex (1) featuring a redox-active triamine ligand (L¹) with a free –NH₂ arm, opening a new route to accessing substituted pyrroles with broad substrate scope and functional group tolerance in good isolated yields via multicomponent coupling of 1,3-dicarbonyls, amines, and diol, is reported. The hydrogen bonding interaction offered by 1 facilitates the formation of critical reaction intermediates, favoring the formation of pyrroles.