Metal-free cascade synthesis of unsymmetrical 2-aminopyrimidines from imidazolate enaminones

A convenient metal-free synthesis of unsymmetrical 2-aminopyrimidines from imidazolate enaminones has been developed. In this procedure, various structural 2-aminopyrimidines, as well as 4,5-dihydroisoxazol-5-ols and pyrazoles were synthesized in moderate to excellent yields. A plausible mechanism was also proposed for the cascade reaction. This method represents an effective strategy towards the synthesis of unsymmetrical 2-aminopyrimidines.