Copper-mediated aerobic synthesis of 3-azabicyclo[3.1.0]hex-2-enes and 4-carbonylpyrroles from N-allyl/propargyl enamine carboxylates.

Synthetic methods for 3-azabicyclo[3.1.0]hex-2-enes and 4-carbonylpyrroles have been developed that use copper-mediated/catalyzed reactions of N-allyl/propargyl enamine carboxylates under an O(2) atmosphere and involve intramolecular cyclopropanation and carbooxygenation, respectively. These methodologies take advantage of orthogonal modes of chemical reactivity of readily available N-allyl/propargyl enamine carboxylates; the complementary pathways can be accessed by slight modification of the reaction conditions.