N-Acyl-Glutarimides: Privileged Scaffolds in Amide N-C Bond Cross-Coupling

In this Microreview, we describe the recent exciting developments in the burgeoning area of amide N-C cross-coupling enabled by amide bond twist of N-acyl-glutarimides. Since the initial reports in 2015, these amides have been demonstrated to be by far the most reactive amide derivatives in the biologically-relevant manifold of N-C activation/cross-coupling, thus stimulating the development of more than 10 previously unknown catalytic modes of reactivity of the amide bond. The capacity of N-acyl-glutarimides as privileged scaffolds to expedite acyl and decarbonylative cross-couplings by amide N-C cleavage is discussed.