A catalyst-free one-pot three-component
method of sulfoxonium ylides,
nitrosoarenes, and alkynes for the synthesis of highly functionalized
di-keto aziridines and alkenes is described. This strategy features
the catalyst-free and additive-free approach, the employment of safe,
more stable, and readily accessible sulfoxonium ylides, which bear
a much wider substrate scope as starting materials. In terms of terminal
alkynes, a cascade reaction of nitrone formation/1,3-diploar cycloaddition/Baldwin
rearrangement is involved to afford a wide variety of di-keto aziridines.
However, highly functionalized alkenes could be obtained instead of
di-keto aziridines through the same nitrone formation/1,3-diploar
cycloaddition and another different rearrangement reaction when internal
alkynes are employed as starting materials.