Diversity in Gold-Catalyzed Formal Cycloadditions of Ynamides with Azidoalkenes or 2H-Azirines: [3+2] versus [4+3] Cycloadditions

Gold-catalyzed cycloadditions of ynamides with azidoalkenes or 2H-azirines give [3+2] or [4+3] formal cycloadducts of three classes. Cycloadditions of ynamides with 2H-azirine species afford pyrrole products with two regioselectivities when the C-substituted 2H-azirine is replaced from an alkyl (or hydrogen) with an ester group. For ynamides substituted with an electron-rich phenyl group, their reactions with azidoalkenes proceed through novel [4+3] cycloadditions to deliver 1H-benzo[d]azepine products instead.