Straightforward Access to Pyrazine-(2,3)-diones through Sequential Three-Component Reaction

A novel protocol for the assembly of polysubstituted 2,3-dioxo-1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyrazines and 2,3-dioxo-hydro-1H-cycloalkyl[b]pyrazines has been developed by the sequential three-component reaction of primary aliphatic amines, 1,2-diaza-1,3-dienes (DDs) and oxalyl chloride. This synthetic sequence proceeds by initial aza-Michael addition of the amine to the azo-ene compounds and subsequent ring closure involving the oxalyl chloride. The ready availability of the starting materials as well as the high level of practicability of the reaction and work-up make this approach an attractive opportunity towards these uncommon systems.