[reaction: see text] A Brønsted acid-catalyzed highly stereoselective arene-ynamide cyclization is described. These reactions constitute a keteniminium variant of Pictet-Spengler cyclizations, leading to efficient synthesis of nitrogen heterocycles and related alkaloids. Total syntheses of desbromoarborescidines A and C are illustrated here as first applications of this methodology.

A copper-catalyzed new C-N bond formation involving a sp-hybridized carbon is described here leading to a facile entry for syntheses of chiral ynamides. This direct N-alkynylation of amides should have a significant impact on the future development of synthetic methodologies employing ynamides.

[reaction: see text] A highly useful sequence of reactions is described here. These reactions consist of the first successful base-induced isomerizations of propargyl amides to chiral ynamides, applications of these novel ynamides in ring-closure metathesis leading to chiral 2-amidodienes useful for Diels-Alder cycloadditions, and the first successful tandem RCM of diene-ynamides.

A general and efficient method for the coupling of a wide range of amides with alkynyl bromides is described here. This novel amidation reaction involves a catalytic protocol using copper(II) sulfate-pentahydrate and 1,10-phenanthroline to direct the sp-C-N bond formation, leading to a structurally diverse array of ynamides including macrocyclic ynamides via an intramolecular amidation. Given the surging interest in ynamide chemistry, this atom economical synthesis of ynamides should invoke further attention from the synthetic organic community.

A chiral Lewis acid-catalyzed highly enantioselective [4 + 3] cycloaddition reaction of allenamide-derived nitrogen-stabilized chiral oxyallyl cations is described here. The use of bisoxazoline ligand and CuOTf2 provides high enantioselectivity, especially with [SbF6]- as the counteranion.