Recent Advances onα‐Azidoketones and Esters in the Synthesis ofN‐Heterocycles

Abstract Organic azides have been proven to possess versatile reactivity that is utilized to synthesize a large number of molecular scaffolds. Among the azides, α ‐azidoketones and esters have been widely explored to synthesize numerous high valued N ‐heterocycles. The enhanced acidity of the methylene hydrogen atoms by adjacent carbonyl or ester groups of α‐azidoketones and esters largely attributes to their unique chemical behaviour. It has been mostly utilized in two ways: a) the azides have been directly treated with other reagents in a basic medium and b) they are converted into α ‐azidovinylketones and esters through Knoevenagel condensation with aldehydes and subsequently treated with various reagents to access nitrogen heterocycles. This review provides a general outlook and concise report on α ‐azidoketones and esters towards the synthesis of various N ‐heterocycles such as pyrroles, indoles, pyrazoles, imidazoles, triazoles, pyridines, pyrimidine, pyrazine and many others.