annulations of 2-(acetoxymethyl)buta-2,3-dienoates with α-aminonitriles have been developed, in which α-aminonitriles serve as C, N-bisnucleophilic reaction partners and 2-(acetoxymethyl)buta-2,3-dienoates as "C4 synthons" respectively. A number of α-aminonitriles could be successfully applied to giving multifunctional desired products using PPh 3 as catalyst. This method provides a facile entry to access polysubstituted tetrahydropyridines bearing quaternary carbon centers. The possible reaction mechanism was also proposed.

An operationally simple and efficient one-pot method is developed for the synthesis of pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolin-3(2H)-ones bearing sulfur moieties. The reaction involves a sulfa-Michael-triggered tandem reaction followed by acid-mediated lactamization, and exhibits good functional group tolerance.

A novel protocol for the synthesis of functionalized γ-amino acid esters and γ-lactams through a controllable Lewis base catalyzed Michael addition of α-aminonitriles to simple activated alkenes has been developed. The scope, versatility, and efficiency of the process were demonstrated.