Synthetic Applications of Ambiphilic C-acylimines in Organic Synthesis

C-acylimines are generally obtained through condensation/dehydration of simple and readily available glyoxals and amines. The structure resembles naturally occurring biological substances due to the presence of the imino group (-N=C-). Chemically, C-acylimines exhibit ambiphilic reactivity, and hence, their synthetic chemistry becomes more attractive and viable for the synthesis of various aza-cyclic/heterocyclic compounds, including their asymmetric counterpart. Therefore, many synthetic methodologies were developed from these readily preparable C-acylimines. Surprisingly, there is no account/review available on this specific topic. Hence we present here an account of all the synthetic endeavours developed from C-acylimines to synthesize small molecules and complex systems using various strategies.

Automated summary

C-acylimines are compounds obtained through the reaction of glyoxals and amines, which exhibit similar structures to naturally occurring substances and have unique reactivity in the synthesis of nitrogen-containing cyclic compounds. Despite the lack of available reviews in this specific area, numerous synthetic methods have been developed.