Ring opening reactions of nitrogen heterocycles

Published data on ring opening reactions of nitrogen-containing cyclic compounds resulting in various acyclic products are integrated and systematized. The reactions of common five-, six- and seven-membered nitrogen heterocycles containing one to four nitrogen atoms in the ring and having various structures (mononuclear, polynuclear, fused, saturated, unsaturated and aromatic) are considered. Special emphasis is made on the potential of nitrogen heterocycles for the synthesis of polyfunctional open-chain compounds. The advantages and disadvantages of the proposed approaches are noted. Data on the biological activities of some ring opening products of the title heterocycles are presented. The text is arranged according to the type of reagents and catalysts used.