Diversity-oriented decoration of pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazines

Diversity-oriented synthesis of a chemical library based on a pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazine core is described by using palladium-catalyzed direct C6 arylation of pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazines with various aryl bromides. The starting materials, pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazines, were easily synthesized by the base-mediated N-alkylation of pyrrole-2-carboxaldehyde with several 2-bromoacetophenones followed by dehydrative cyclization with incorporation of nitrogen by the action of ammonium acetate. Introduction of other functional groups on this chemical scaffold is also discussed herein. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.