Multicomponent reactions of convertible isonitriles.

A new family of unsaturated isonitriles has been prepared by the base-promoted ring-opening of oxazoles, offering an alternative to the conventional formamide dehydration route. These compounds undergo the full complement of multicomponent reactions for which isonitriles are known and offer the desirable trait of giving amide products that readily participate in acyl substitution reactions (hence, they are convertible). Moreover, they do not have the objectionable odors for which isonitriles are typically known, making them more accessible as reagents for organic synthesis. One focus of the work is isonitriles bearing perfluorinated alkyl groups that enable the ready separation of such reagents from nonfluorinated reaction products using the "light" fluorous method of fluorous solid-phase extraction.