NHC‐Catalyzed Radical Tandem Cyclization/Coupling Reaction for the Synthesis of 2‐Pyrrolidinone Derivatives.

A novel strategy for synthesizing structurally diverse 2‐pyrrolidinons by a NHC‐catalyzed tandem radical cyclization process has been developed. This reaction proceeds through a radical coupling approach, which not only shows broad substrate scope with excellent functional group compatibility but also is quite compatible with the secondary and tertiary radicals. By using this protocol, various potentially bioactive 2‐pyrrolidinons were facilely synthesized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]