{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,2]],"date-time":"2026-10-02T13:54:51Z","timestamp":1790949291538,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"American Chemical Society (ACS)","issue":"39","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]],"date-time":"2026-09-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789689600000},"content-version":"stm-asf","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.15223\/policy-029"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]],"date-time":"2026-09-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789689600000},"content-version":"stm-asf","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.15223\/policy-037"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]],"date-time":"2026-09-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789689600000},"content-version":"stm-asf","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.15223\/policy-045"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100007846","name":"Yunnan Provincial Department of Education","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["C17624011121"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["C17624011121"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100007846","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100007846","name":"Yunnan Provincial Department of Education","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["FWCY-BSPY2025012"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["FWCY-BSPY2025012"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100007846","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Yunnan Provincial Graduate Supervisor Team","award":["SJDSTD-232514290"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["SJDSTD-232514290"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,2]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>We report a Rh(III)-catalyzed C\u2013H activation\/[3 + 2] cycloaddition of heterocyclic ketene aminals (HKAs) 1 with 2,3-diaryl-2H-azirines 2, affording functionalized pyrrolo[1,2-a]imidazoles 3 in moderate to excellent yields. The native nitrogen atom of HKAs serves as an intrinsic directing group, enabling selective \u03b1-C\u2013H activation without prior substrate functionalization. The azirines act as unusual C2 synthons, enabling a distinct and highly regioselective [3 + 2] annulation mode complementary to those of alkynes and alkenes. The reaction proceeds under [Cp*RhCl2]2\/AgBF4\/HOAc catalysis in refluxing acetonitrile under air and exhibits broad substrate scope and excellent functional-group tolerance. Mechanistic studies support exclusive \u03b1-C\u2013H activation and a plausible Rh(III)-catalyzed pathway. This method provides a practical, atom- and step-economical route to structurally diverse pyrrolo[1,2-a]imidazoles.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.orglett.6c03339","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]],"date-time":"2026-09-18T06:01:14Z","timestamp":1789711274000},"page":"12265-12270","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Rh(III)-Catalyzed\nC\u2013H Activation\/[3 + 2] Cycloaddition\nfor the Synthesis of Functionalized Pyrrolo[1,2-\n                    <i>a<\/i>\n                    ]imidazole Derivatives"],"prefix":"10.1021","volume":"28","author":[{"given":"Yi-Ting","family":"Wang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Yunnan University , , ,","place":["Kunming, P. R. China, 650091"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zhi-Bo","family":"Xie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Yunnan University , , ,","place":["Kunming, P. R. China, 650091"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Qin","family":"Luo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Yunnan University , , ,","place":["Kunming, P. R. China, 650091"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1488-2556","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Jin","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Yunnan University , , ,","place":["Kunming, P. R. China, 650091"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7430-4096","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Sheng-Jiao","family":"Yan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Yunnan University , , ,","place":["Kunming, P. R. China, 650091"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"316","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026100208373218600_cit1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"5623","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.jmedchem.8b00375","article-title":"Discovery\nof potent 2-aryl-6,7-dihydro-5H-pyrrolo[1,2-a]imidazoles as WDR5-WIN-site inhibitors using fragment-based\nmethods and structure-based design","volume":"61","author":"Wang","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. Med.\nChem."},{"key":"2026100208373218600_cit2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1260","DOI":"10.1128\/AAC.41.6.1260","article-title":"Antimicrobial\nactivity of DU-6681a, a parent compound of novel oral carbapenem DZ-2640","volume":"41","author":"Tanaka","year":"1997","journal-title":"Antimicrob. 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Agric.\nFood Chem."},{"key":"2026100208373218600_cit7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3708","DOI":"10.1021\/ol501523d","article-title":"Cyanogramide\nwith a New Spiro[indolinone-pyrroloimidazole] Skeleton from Actinoalloteichus\ncyanogriseus","volume":"16","author":"Fu","year":"2014","journal-title":"Org. Lett."},{"key":"2026100208373218600_cit8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2708","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.accounts.2c00455","article-title":"Design, synthesis,\nand application\nof chiral bicyclic imidazole catalysts","volume":"55","author":"Wang","year":"2022","journal-title":"Acc.\nChem. Res."},{"key":"2026100208373218600_cit9a","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3627","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.orglett.8b01402","article-title":"K2S2O8\/TEMPO-Induced\nCascade Oxidative Cyclization\/1,2-Migration of Electron-Deficient\nGroups: Strategy for the Construction of 1H-Pyrrol-2(3H)-ones","volume":"20","author":"Gao","year":"2018","journal-title":"Org. 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Res."},{"key":"2026100208373218600_cit16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2012","DOI":"10.1021\/jm00169a033","article-title":"Synthesis\nand Antibacterial Activity of Thiazolo-, Oxazolo-, and Imidazolo[3,2-a][l,8]naphthyridinecarb-oxylic Acids","volume":"33","author":"Kondo","year":"1990","journal-title":"J. Med. Chem."},{"key":"2026100208373218600_cit17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1087","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.orglett.8b04135","article-title":"Aza-Wittig reaction with nitriles: How carbonyl function\nswitches from reacting to activating","volume":"21","author":"Tukhtaev","year":"2019","journal-title":"Org. Lett."},{"key":"2026100208373218600_cit18a","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"11971","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.joc.9b01814","article-title":"Multicomponent tether catalysis synthesis of highly\nfunctionalized 4-(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)-2-aminopyrroles via cascade\nreaction","volume":"84","author":"Li","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Org. Chem."},{"key":"2026100208373218600_cit18b","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"10508","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.joc.3c00497","article-title":"Substrate-controlled three-component\nsynthesis of diverse fused heterocycles","volume":"88","author":"Peshkov","year":"2023","journal-title":"J.\nOrg. Chem."},{"key":"2026100208373218600_cit19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"284","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.orglett.7b03596","article-title":"Rapid syntheses\nof heteroaryl-substituted imidazo[1,5-a]indole and\npyrrolo[1,2-c]imidazole via aerobic C2\u2013H functionalizations","volume":"20","author":"Kong","year":"2018","journal-title":"Org. Lett."},{"key":"2026100208373218600_cit20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1622","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.orglett.3c00095","article-title":"Hydroxyl-directed Rh(III)-catalyzed\nC\u2013H functionalization:\naccess to benzo[de]chromenes","volume":"25","author":"Hu","year":"2023","journal-title":"Org. Lett."},{"key":"2026100208373218600_cit21a","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"9752","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.orglett.4c03638","article-title":"Cascade [3 + 2]\/[4\n+ 2] cycloaddition of enaminones with vinylene carbonate for the synthesis\nof functionalized pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines","volume":"26","author":"Ma","year":"2024","journal-title":"Org. Lett."},{"key":"2026100208373218600_cit21b","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"544","DOI":"10.1039\/D4QO01816H","article-title":"Yan, S.-J. Rhodium-catalyzed synthesis\nof N-substituted 3-acylpyrroles from enaminones and\nvinylene carbonate","volume":"12","author":"Ma","year":"2025","journal-title":"Org. Chem. Front."},{"key":"2026100208373218600_cit22a","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"6270","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.orglett.6c01336","article-title":"Synthesis of Aggregation-Induced Emission (AIE)-Tetraarylpyrazines\nvia Ni(II)-Catalyzed Dimerization of 2,3-Diaryl-2H-Azirines","volume":"28","author":"Chen","year":"2026","journal-title":"Org. Lett."},{"key":"2026100208373218600_cit22b","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"9103","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.orglett.5c02887","article-title":"Silver-Catalyzed [3\n+ 2] Annulation of 2H-Azirines and CF3-Imidoyl Sulfoxonium\nYlides: Access to CF3-Substituted 1H-\nand 2H-Pyrroles","volume":"27","author":"Hu","year":"2025","journal-title":"Org. Lett."},{"key":"2026100208373218600_cit22c","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3978","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.orglett.3c01434","article-title":"Palladium\/Silver Cocatalyzed Divergent Dimerization of 2H-Azirines\nfor Regioselective Synthesis of Tetrasubstituted Pyrroles and Pyrimidines","volume":"25","author":"Zhao","year":"2023","journal-title":"Org. Lett."},{"key":"2026100208373218600_cit23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2678","DOI":"10.1039\/C8SC05142A","article-title":"Selective C\u2013C\nBond Formation from Rhodium-Catalyzed C\u2013H Activation Reaction\nof 2-Arylpyridines with 3-Aryl-2H-azirines","volume":"10","author":"Baek","year":"2019","journal-title":"Chem. Sci."},{"key":"2026100208373218600_cit24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3615","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.orglett.9b01043","article-title":"2H-Azirines as C\u2013C Annulation\nReagents in Cu-Catalyzed Synthesis of Furo[3,2-c]quinolone\nDerivatives","volume":"21","author":"Sakharov","year":"2019","journal-title":"Org. 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