Novel method of tetramic acid synthesis: silver-catalyzed carbon dioxide incorporation into propargylic amine and intramolecular rearrangement.

Tetramic acid derivatives have been studied as biologically active heterocycle structures for pharmaceutical or agricultural chemicals. Conventional preparative approaches often require highly functionalized starting materials and harsh heating conditions in basic media. The present report provides a conceptually new synthetic strategy for the synthesis of tetramic acid derivatives from easily available propargylic amines and carbon dioxide with a silver salt and DBU under mild reaction conditions.