A one-pot synthesis of nitrogen-containing heteroaryl α-keto amides from heteroaryl halides

The SNAr-type reaction of the piperidine amide of cyanoacetic acid with a series of heteroaryl halides followed by in situ oxidation of the resultant anion with peracetic acid provided a convenient, one-pot protocol for preparative access to heteroaryl alpha-keto amides. In this procedure, the amide of cyanoacetic acid functions as an Umpolung-type synthon of the alpha-keto amide moiety. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.