Tricyclic dibenzoxepines and dibenzazepines are important therapeutic agents for the pharmaceutical industry and academic research. However, their syntheses are generally rather tedious, requiring several steps that involve a Wagner-Meerwein-type rearrangement under harsh conditions. Herein, we present the first copper(I)-catalyzed oxidative CH bond functionalization and ring expansion with TMSCHN2 to yield these important derivatives in a facile and straightforward way.
Keywords: CH functionalization; TMSCHN2; copper; heterocycles; ring expansion.
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