Arylformylacetonitriles in Multicomponent Reactions Leading to Heterocycles

Abstract Arylformylacetonitriles are versatile and attractive synthons in organic synthesis owing to their high reactivity. Among the numerous transformations involving arylformylacetonitriles, multicomponent reactions (MCRs) offer straightforward and effective routes to assemble the reactants into a wide range of five‐ and six‐membered heterocyclic systems including pyrrole, pyrazole, triazole, furan, pyridine, pyrimidine, and pyran. This review collects the recent advances and applications of arylformylacetonitriles in MCRs for the synthesis of monocyclic or polycyclic heterocycles published in the literature since 2001.