Regioselective Copper-Catalyzed Dicarbonylation of Imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines with N,N-Disubstituted Acetamide or Acetone: An Approach to 1,2-Diketones using Molecular Oxygen.

A novel copper-catalyzed regioselective double carbonylation of imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines with N,N-disubstituted acetamide or acetone using molecular oxygen has been described. It has provided a new approach to synthesize 1,2-carbonyl imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines, which are important substrates and intermediates in preparation of fine chemicals. The product shares a skeleton similar to that of Zolpidem, one of the most prescribed drugs in the world. O-18-labeling experiments unambiguously established that the oxygen source of products originated from O-2 rather than H2O.