Modular Synthesis of Polar Spirocyclic Scaffolds Enabled by Radical Chemistry

Herein, we report a highly modular strategy to access spirocyclic scaffolds from abundant starting materials, i.e., cyclic ketones and α-amino or oxamic acids. The sequence proceeds through a straightforward Knoevenagel condensation, followed by a domino Giese-type reaction/base-mediated cyclization process, to deliver a broad scope of polar spirocyclic scaffolds in good to excellent yields. The products can be readily diversified, thus increasing the versatility of our method to gain rapid access to libraries of potential druglike molecules.