The Succinimide Group as a Traceless Activator for Lewis Acid-Catalyzed Diarylative Ring-Opening of Cyclopropanes with Carbazoles and Electron-Rich Arenes

A Lewis acid-catalyzed and microwave-assisted divergent transformation of aminocyclopropanes with carbazoles has been developed. Notably, the succinimide group could serve as a traceless activating group, enabling the unexpected synthesis of dicarbazolylmethane derivatives. The methodology exhibits a broad substrate scope, allowing indoles and 1-naphthols to serve as efficient coupling partners. Furthermore, its practical applicability is demonstrated through gram-scale synthesis and modular derivatization. Mechanistic investigations, supported by experimental studies combined with DFT calculations, provide a comprehensive understanding of the reaction pathway.