Sulfenyl Ynamides in Gold Catalysis: Synthesis of Oxo-functionalised 4-aminoimidazolyl Fused Compounds by Intermolecular Annulation Reactions

FunctionalisedN-heterocyclic pyridiniumN-aminides have been designed and synthesised to evaluate a nitrenoid-based annulation strategy into imidazole-fused oxo-substituted frameworks of importance to medicinal and agrochemical discovery programmes. Sulfenyl substituted ynamides were identified as privileged reactants affording productive gold-catalysed annulation reactions with these and other nitrenoids. This annulation method provides selective and efficient access into geminally amino-sulfenyl substituted nitrogen heterocycles under mild reaction conditions.