Nitrilimine cycloaddition to 4-(pyrazol-5-yl)carbonyl-2-azetidinone and 4-(pyrazol-4-yl)carbonyl-2-azetidinone

The higly stereoselective nitrilimine cycloaddition onto the novel 3(R*)-phenyl-4(S*)-cinnamoyl-2-azetidinone 2 gave 4-(4,5-dihydropyrazol-5-yl)carbonyl-2-azetidinone 5 as the major product and 4-(4,5-dihydropyrazol-4-yl)carbonyl-2-azetidinone 6 as the minor one. Ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) oxidation of the cycloadducts gave the title compounds with good overall yield.