Direct Synthesis of 5-Acyl-3-oxy-4-pyrones Based On Acid-­Catalyzed Acylation of Enaminodiones with Acylbenzotriazoles via Soft Enolization

Abstract A novel convenient acid-catalyzed acylation of enaminodiones with acylbenzotriazoles via soft enolization has been developed for the direct synthesis of hard-to-reach 5-acyl-3-oxy-4-pyrones. The important advantages of the reaction include broad substrate scope, mild conditions, scalability, and readily isolation of products by crystallization without the use of chromatography. Further modification of the pyrone ring and synthesis of various azaheterocycles via ring-opening transformation have been demonstrated for the preparation of potential scaffolds for inhibition of metalloenzymes.