Pyrazolidinone-Aided Ru(II)-Catalyzed Regioselective C-H Annulation with Allenes

Regioselective annulation of allenes via C-H activation represents an elegant synthetic approach toward the construction of valuable scaffolds. Considering the importance of allenes, herein we developed an unprecedented Ru(II)-catalyzed highly regioselective redox-neutral C-H activation/(4 + 1)-annulation of 1-arylpyrazolidinones employing allenyl acetates to access pyrazolo[1,2-a]indazol-1-one derivatives. Additionally, allenyl cyclic carbonates, which were never tested in C-H activation, were utilized to construct a similar class of heterocycles having a pendent alcohol functionality. Notably, double C-H functionalization was achieved by a simple modification of reaction conditions. The synthetic significance of this methodology is underscored by late-stage modification of natural products, broad substrate scope, gram-scale synthesis, and postfunctionalizations.