In this review data on the synthesis of three-, four-, five-, and six-membered heterocycles, as well as of condensed heterocyclic compounds from a-amino ketones and Mannich bases are classified for the first time.The chemistry of ct-and 13-amino ketones is one of the most interesting areas of organic chemistry due to the wide spectrum of biological activity and also the high reactivity of these compounds. Their effect on the cardiovascular and central nervous systems as well as their antiviral activity have been considered in detail in the monograph by A. N. Kudrin [1]. The ix-and [3-amino ketones are widely used for the synthesis of compounds of various classes such as amino alcohols, 13-enamino ketones, nitrosoamino ketones, etc. The chemistry of 13-amino ketones has been illuminated in detail in other reviews [2,3]. No correlation of literature material on the synthesis and chemical properties of ix-amino ketones and on the cyclization of ix-and I~-amino ketones has been published up to the present time. The literature data of the past 40 years on the preparation of heterocyc!ic compounds from t~-and 13-amino ketones are reviewed systematically below.
SYNTheSIS OF THREE-, FOUR-, AND FIVE-MEMBERED HETEROCYCLESOnly one study is known devoted to the synthesis of three-membered heterocycles, viz. Four-membered heterocycles, azetidines, are obtained by the photolysis of o~-amino ketones in ether or in tetrahydrofuran [5][6][7][8][9]. For example, the formation of azetidines II according to the following scheme was described in [6]: