Allylic azlactones are greatly significant in terms of potential bioactivities and synthetic applications. Owing to the burgeoning interest of the pharmaceutical industry in α - amino acid derivatives, discovering strategies for the synthesis of allylic azlactones is important. Herein, we establish a transition-metal-free regioselectivity switch of α-amino acid-derived esters and MBH carbonates, which exhibits broad reaction scope and good reaction yields. Control reactions indicate that both base and solvent are important for regioselectivity.
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