Iodine catalyzed one-pot synthesis of highly substituted N-methyl pyrroles via [3 + 2] annulation and their in vitro evaluation as antibacterial agentsElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available: All the 1H & 13C NMR and mass spectra of 4a-n are available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5ra11094g

A new class of highly substituted pyrroles have been synthesized via a simple, fast, and efficient method using environmentally friendly iodine catalyzed [3 + 2] annulation. N -Methyl- N -[( E )-1-(methylsulfanyl)-2-nitro-1-ethenyl]amine (NMSM) 1 and β-nitrostyrenes 3 underwent cycloaddition to afford the desired products 4 in excellent yields under solvent and metal free conditions. All the pyrrole derivatives were evaluated for their in vitro anti-bacterial activity. Among the synthesized pyrrole derivatives, 4b , 4c , 4e , 4g , 4i , 4j , 4l , 4m and 4n displayed good inhibitory properties against a panel of Gram positive and negative infectious pathogens. A new class of highly substituted pyrroles have been synthesized via a simple, fast, and efficient method using environmentally friendly iodine catalyzed [3 + 2] annulation.