Unusual Skeletal Reorganization of Oxetanes for the Synthesis of 1,2‐Dihydroquinolines
Guannan Wang, Hai Huang, Wengang Guo, Chenxiao Qian, Jianwei Sun
Abstract
Abstract Skeletal reorganization is a type of fascinating transformations owing to their intriguing mechanisms and utility in complex molecule synthesis. However, only a limited amount of examples are known for most functional groups. Herein, we describe such an unusual process of oxetanes. In the presence of In(OTf) 3 as catalyst, oxetane‐tethered anilines reacted unexpectedly to form 1,2‐dihydroquinolines. This process not only provides expedient access to dihydroquinolines, but also represents a new reaction of oxetane. Mechanistically, it is believed that the reaction proceeds through initial nitrogen attack rather than arene attack followed by a series of bond cleavage and formation events. Control experiments provided important insights into the mechanism.