Employing carboxylic acids in aryne multicomponent coupling triggered by aziridines/azetidines

The transition-metal-free aryne multicomponent coupling (MCC) involving carboxylic acids initiated by aziridines/azetidines has been reported. The use of aziridines as nucleophiles afforded N-aryl beta-amino alcohol derivatives and the application of azetidines as nucleophilic triggers furnished N-aryl gamma-amino alcohol derivatives in moderate to good yields. These reactions proceed under mild conditions and result in the formation of a new carbon-nitrogen bond and a new carbon-oxygen bond. The utility of carboxylic acids in aryne MCCs has been demonstrated, and the synthetic potential of phenols as acid surrogates in the present aryne MCCs has been realized.