Ag-Catalyzed Selective C1-Acylation of Pyrrolo[1,2-a]Quinoxalines With 2-Oxo-2-Arylacetic Acids

Abstract

A silver-catalyzed decarboxylative acylation protocol has been developed for the direct C1H functionalization of pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxalines using α-oxocarboxylic acids as bench-stable acyl precursors. A variety of aryl(pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxalin-1-yl)methanone derivatives were synthesized with good yields. In this process, α-oxocarboxylic acids serve as efficient acylation reagents, generating the desired reactive acyl carbocation in situ. The methodology demonstrates excellent regioselectivity and scalability to gram–level production, which facilitated the molecular diversity of pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline by allowing convenient functionalization at the C3–position.