Metal-Free Route for the Synthesis of 4-Acyl-1,2,3-Triazoles from Readily Available Building Blocks

Functionalized 1,2,3-triazole heterocycles have been known for a long time and hold an extraordinary potential in diverse research areas ranging from medicinal chemistry to material science. However, the scope of therapeutically important 1-substituted 4-acyl-1H-1,2,3-triazoles is much less explored, probably due to the lack of synthetic methodologies of good scope and practicality. Here, we describe a practical and efficient one-pot multicomponent reaction for the synthesis of a-ketotriazoles from readily available building blocks such as methyl ketones, N,N-dimethylformamide dimethyl acetal, and organic azides with 100% regioselectivity. This reaction is enabled by the in situ formation of an enaminone intermediate followed by its 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction with an organic azide. We effectively utilized the developed strategy for the derivatization of various heterocycles and natural products, a protocol which is difficult or impossible to realize by other means.