A one-pot catalysis: the strategic classification with some recent examples.

In this "Emerging Area", the strategic classification of one-pot catalysis, i.e. cooperative, relay and sequential catalysis, is described.

Au(I)-catalyzed cascade reaction involving formal double hydroamination of alkynes bearing tethered carboxylic groups: an easy access to fused dihydrobenzimidazoles and tetrahydroquinazolines.

A process involving gold(I)-catalyzed formal double hydroamination of alkynes, bearing a tethered carboxylic group, for the synthesis of fused dihydrobenzimidazoles and tetrahydroquinazolines has been developed. A series of transition metal catalysts have been screened for this transformation, and a catalyst system consisting of Ph(3)PAuCl (1 mol %) and AgOTf (1 mol %) was found to be the best. The procedure entails the reaction of easily accessible starting materials such as alkynoic acids and 1,2-diaminobenzenes/2-aminobenzylamines in the presence of the catalyst in 1,2-dichloroethane at 100 degrees C.