High-Yielding Synthesis of Nefopam Analogues (Functionalized Benzoxazocines) by Sequential One-Pot Cascade Operations.

An efficient amine-/ruthenium-catalyzed three-step process for the synthesis of Nefopam analogues was achieved through combinations of cascade enamine amination/iso-aromatization/allylation and diene or enyne metathesis as key steps starting from functionalized Hagemann's esters. In this communication, we discovered the application of ruthenium-catalysis on olefins containing free amines without in situ formation of salts.