A facile synthesis of 4-acylamino-tetrahydroindazoles via the Ritter reaction

A new route toward 4-acylamino- and 4-amino-substituted tetrahydroindazoles is disclosed. The title compounds are obtained in good to excellent yields in the Ritter reaction between 4-hydroxy-tetrahydroindazoles and various nitriles. The reactivity of the tetrahydroindazole-derived carbenium ion is both sufficiently high to react with trichloroacetonitrile and sufficiently selective to resist the azide functionality within its structure. The present approach adds a method to the toolbox of tetrahydroindazole chemistry and facilitates the structural modifications of the scaffold, which has found important applications in medicinal chemistry.