A rhodium-catalyzed oxygenative reaction has been developed, in which terminal alkynes undergo an oxygenative reaction with alcohols, amines, water, and imines to produce the corresponding esters, amides, carboxylic acids, and β-lactams. In this proc...
A rhodium-catalyzed oxygenative reaction has been developed, in which terminal alkynes undergo an oxygenative reaction with alcohols, amines, water, and imines to produce the corresponding esters, amides, carboxylic acids, and β-lactams. In this process, the rhodium vinylidene generated from a terminal alkyne is converted to a rhodium ketene complex by oxygen transfer from sulfoxides or N-oxides. Subsequently, the addition of nucleophiles and [2+2] cycloaddition to the rhodium ketene complex gives carboxylic acid derivatives and β-lactams. The new method provides efficient synthesis of carboxylic acid derivatives and β-lactams under mild conditions taking advantage of catalytic generation of a ketene species from terminal alkyne.