Polysubstituted 2-Aminopyrrole Synthesis via Gold-Catalyzed Intermolecular Nitrene Transfer from Vinyl Azide to Ynamide: Reaction Scope and Mechanistic Insights.

A gold-catalyzed intermolecular reaction of vinyl azides and ynamides is described. This process presents an efficient and mild approach to multisubstituted 2-aminopyrroles in good-to-excellent yields. Control experiments were carried out to distinguish the reactivity between vinyl azides and the corresponding 2H-azirines. A plausible reaction mechanism was also proposed according to previous reports and our preliminary mechanistic studies.