Zn/Sc bimetallic relay catalysis: one pot cycloisomerization/carbonyl–ene reaction toward oxazole derivatives

A novel tandem metal relay catalytic system combining Zn(II)-catalyzed cycloisomerization and a Sc(III)-catalyzed carbonyl–ene reaction has been successfully developed. By using this unprecedented Zn/Sc bimetallic relay catalytic system, a variety of oxazole derivatives were obtained from easily available N-(propargyl)arylamides and aldehydes under mild conditions.