posted on 2024-03-18, 05:04authored byAna Alvarez-Montoya, Joseph P. Gillions, Laura Winfrey, Rebecca R. Hawker, Kuldip Singh, Fabrizio Ortu, Yukang Fu, Yang Li, Alexander P. Pulis
Pyrroles are important N-heterocycles
found in
medicines and materials. The formation of pyrroles from widely accessible
pyrrolidines is a potentially attractive strategy but is an underdeveloped
approach due to the sensitivity of pyrroles to the oxidative conditions
required to achieve such a transformation. Herein, we report a catalytic
approach that employs commercially available B(C6F5)3 in an operationally simple procedure that allows
pyrrolidines to serve as direct synthons for pyrroles. Mechanistic
studies have revealed insights into borane-catalyzed dehydrogenative
processes.