Saturated N-heterocycles are prevalent in biologically active molecules and are increasingly attractive scaffolds in the development of new pharmaceuticals. Unlike their aromatic counterparts, there are limited strategies for facile construction of substituted saturated N-heterocycles by convergent, predictable methods. In this Synopsis, we discuss recent advances in the synthesis of these compounds, focusing on approaches that offer generality and convenience from widely available building blocks.

Interest in saturated N-heterocycles as scaffolds for the synthesis of bioactive molecules is increasing. Reliable and predictable synthetic methods for the preparation of these compounds, especially medium-sized rings, are limited. We describe the development of SnAP (Sn amino protocol) reagents for the transformation of aldehydes into seven-, eight- and nine-membered saturated N-heterocycles. This process occurs under mild, room-temperature conditions and offers exceptional substrate scope and functional-group tolerance. Air- and moisture-stable SnAP reagents are prepared on a multigram scale from inexpensive starting materials by simple reaction sequences. These new reagents and processes allow widely available aryl, heteroaryl and aliphatic aldehydes to be converted into diverse N-heterocycles, including diazepanes, oxazepanes, diazocanes, oxazocanes and hexahydrobenzoxazonines, by a single synthetic operation.

Substituted piperazines and morpholines are valuable structural motifs in biologically active compounds, but are not easily prepared by contemporary cross-coupling approaches. In this report, we introduce SnAP reagents for the transformation of aldehydes into N-unprotected piperazines and morpholines. This approach offers simple, mild conditions compatible with aromatic, heteroaromatic, aliphatic, and glyoxylic aldehydes and provides mono- and disubstituted N-heterocycles in a single step.

It's a SnAP! The transformation of aldehydes into N‐unsubstituted 3‐thiomorpholines provides a convenient alternative to metal‐catalyzed cross‐coupling reactions, which are generally unsuited to the functionalization of saturated N‐heterocycles. A copper‐mediated radical cyclization is the key to the mild conditions, high functional group tolerance, and broad substrate scope offered by these reagents.

Mixed acetals and organotrifluoroborates undergo BF3•OEt2 promoted cross-couplings to give dialkyl ethers under simple, mild conditions. A survey of reaction partners identified a hydroxamate leaving group that improves the regioselectivity and product yield in the BF3•OEt2-promoted coupling reaction of mixed acetals and potassium alkynyl-, alkenyl-, aryl- and heteroaryltrifluoroborates to access substituted dialkyl ethers. This leaving group enables reaction to proceed rapidly under mild conditions (0 °C, 5–60 min) and permits reactions with electron-deficient potassium aryltrifluoroborates that were less reactive with other acetal substrates. A study of the reaction mechanism and characterization of key intermediates by NMR and X-ray crystallography identified a role for the hydroxamate moiety as a reversible leaving group that serves to stabilize the key oxocarbenium intermediate and the need for a slight excess of organodifluoroborane to serve as a catalyst. A secondary role as an activating ligand for the boron nucleophile is also considered. These studies provide the basis for a general class of reagents that lead to dialkyl ethers by a simple, predictable cross-coupling reaction.