Oxidative cyclization of allyl compounds and isocyanide: A facile entry to polysubstituted 2-cyanopyrroles

A facile TfOH-catalyzed oxidative cyclization of allyl compounds and isocyanide has been developed with the assistance of DDQ, where isocyanide is used as the crucial "N" and "CN" sources. Highly functionalized 2-cyanopyrroles are constructed efficiently through a new formal [3 + 2] mode, demonstrating diverse reactivity and synthetic utility in organic chemistry. 2-Cyanopyrrole is converted into a nucleobase analogue of Remdesivir and 5H-pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoindole through a three-step or a two-step sequence, respectively. This protocol features broad substrate scope, operational simplicity and good functional group tolerance.