The diaza-Nazarov cyclization involving a 2,3-diaza-pentadienyl cation for the synthesis of polysubstituted pyrazoles.

An unprecedented iodine-mediated diaza-Nazarov (DAN) type cyclization for the construction of substituted pyrazoles from easily available starting materials via an enamine-iminium ion intermediate is described. The oxidative cyclization worked under green conditions with remarkable regioselectivity. This one-pot, efficient and operationally simple three-component intramolecular regioselective DAN cyclization displayed a wide range of substrate scope. The dichotomy of reaction pathways has been explored with density functional theory in the gas phase and solution phase. Of the possible 1,5-, 1,6-, and 1,7-electrocyclizations, the DAN cyclization, i.e., the 1,5-pathway offers the lowest activation energy barrier supporting our experimental observations.