Catalytic Conversion of Diazocarbonyl Compounds to Imines: Applications to the Synthesis of Tetrahydropyrimidines and β‐Lactams.

The synthesis of α-carbonylimines by rhodium(II)-catalyzed reactions of α-diazoesters and organic azides is developed and applied in hetero-Diels—Alder reactions to form highly functionalized tetrahydropyrimidines (IX) and in a one-pot, multicomponent transformation between aryldiazoacetates, p-anisyl azide, and an enonediazoacetate to produce β-lactams (XI) in high yields and diastereoselectivities.