Base-Promoted Three-Component Cascade Reaction of α-Hydroxy Ketones, Malonodinitrile, and Alcohols: Direct Access to Tetrasubstituted NH-Pyrroles.

A base-promoted three-component cascade reaction of α-hydroxy ketones, malonodinitrile, and alcohols has been developed, providing a direct and efficient route to a range of structurally diverse and synthetically useful 2-alkyloxy-1H-pyrrole-3-carbonitrile derivatives. The reaction involved three different bond (C-C, C-O, and C-N) formations in a single step, and its regioselectivity was depended on the structure of the α-hydroxy ketones employed. The use of easily available starting materials, wide substrate scope, good functional group tolerance, operational simplicity, and high atom economy are attractive features of the new method.