Exploiting the Acylating Nature of the Imide-Ugi Intermediate: A Straightforward Synthesis of Tetrahydro-1,4-benzodiazepin-2-ones.

We describe a simple and novel protocol for the synthesis of tetrahydro-1,4-benzodiazepin-2-ones with three points of diversity, exploiting the acylating properties of the recently rediscovered Ugi-imide. The final compounds can be easily prepared in three synthetic steps using a multi-component reaction, a Staudinger reduction, and an acylative protocol, with good to excellent yields for each synthetic step (Figure presented).