Gold-Catalyzed Cyclization of 3-(2'-Azidoaryl)-1-arylpropargyl Carbonates or 3-Aryl-1-(2'-azidoaryl)propargyl Carbonates to Produce Quinolines.

A gold-catalyzed cyclization of 3-(2'-azidoaryl)-1-arylpropargyl carbonates to generate substituted quinolines via a sequence of 3,3-rearrangement, 6-endo-trig cyclization and denitrogenation has been developed. Similar products could be obtained from 3-aryl-1-(2'-azidoaryl)propargyl carbonates under different gold catalytic conditions via a sequential 6-endo-dig cyclization, denitrogenation, and 1,2-H shift process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]