Rapid Access to 3-Aminoindazoles from Tertiary Amides

A two-step synthesis of structurally diverse 3-aminoindazoles from readily available starting materials was developed. This sequence includes a one-pot synthesis of aminohydrazones through chemoselective Tf2O-mediated activation of tertiary amides and subsequent addition of nucleophilic hydrazides. These precursors then participate in an intramolecular ligand-free Pd-catalyzed C-H amination reaction. The azaheterocycles synthesized via this approach were further diversified through subsequent deprotection/functionalization reactions.