Investigation and Application of Amphoteric α-Amino Aldehyde: An in Situ Generated Species Based on Heyns Rearrangement.

In situ generation of the reactive amphoteric α-amino aldehyde with simple α-hydroxy ketones and phenylamine via Heyns rearrangement was proven to be feasible. Metal-free domino reactions based on this reactive intermediate were effectively used to afford important N-heterocycles including polysubstituted pyrroles, indoles, and quinoxalines conveniently. A simple starting material, water as the only byproduct, and diversity of the useful products will make this method greatly attractive for pharmaceutics.