Rhodacyclopentanones as Linchpins for the Atom Economical Assembly of Diverse Polyheterocycles

We outline a conceptual blueprint that provides direct and atom economical access to a wide range of complex polyheterocycles. Our method capitalizes on the ambiphilic reactivity of rhodacyclopentanones that arise upon exposure of cyclopropanes to Rh­(I) catalysts and CO. Using this approach, a wide array of polycyclizations are achieved, including variants that involve powerful dearomatizations and medium ring formations.