Rhodium-Catalyzed Regioselective Domino Azlactone-Alkyne Coupling/Aza-Cope Rearrangement: Facile Access to 2-Allyl-3-oxazolin-5-ones and Trisubstituted Pyridines.

Rhodium-catalyzed regioselective addition of azlactones to internal alkynes combined with aza-Cope rearrangement provides efficient atom economic access to 2-allyl-3-oxazolin-5-one derivatives. Extension to a triple domino process, in which the above process is combined with in situ azlactone formation starting from amino acids renders this process even more attractive. Subsequent thermolysis of the 2-allyl-3-oxazolines enabled the de novo synthesis of trisubstituted pyridines.