Herein, we report a novel and efficient synthetic strategy for the construction of poly-substituted imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines from the reaction of enaminonitriles with propargylamines via a domino conjugate substitution–nucleophilic addition-cycloisomerization process.

Abstract

A highly efficient domino process consisting of conjugate substitution, nucleophilic addition, and cycloisomerization from the reaction of enaminonitrile with propargylamine allowed for a successive double ring closure to afford a densely functionalized imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine through formation of three C─N bonds.