Sulfenyl ynamides in gold catalysis: synthesis of oxo‐functionalised 4‐aminoimidazolyl fused compounds by intermolecular annulation reactions

Functionalised N-heterocyclic pyridinium N-aminides have been designed and synthesised to evaluate a nitrenoid-based annulation strategy into imidazole-fused oxo-substituted frameworks of importance to medicinal and agrochemical discovery programmes. Sulfenyl substituted ynamides were identified as privileged reactants affording productive gold-catalysed annulation reactions with these and other nitrenoids. This annulation method provides selective and efficient access into geminally amino-sulfenyl substituted nitrogen heterocycles under mild reaction conditions. (Figure presented.).