Organoaluminum-mediated selective 1,2-rearrangement of γ,γ-disubstituted γ-amino α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds leading to unsymmetrically substituted pyrroles

γ,γ-Dialkyl-γ-amino-α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds were found to undergo selective skeletal rearrangement under the influence of modified organoaluminum Lewis acid to give unsymmetrically substituted pyrroles through the rapid Paal–Knorr type cyclization upon acidic hydrolysis. This new structural reorganization of amino carbonyl compounds triggered by the 1,2-alkyl shift provides a unique entry to the synthesis of pyrroles, an important class of heterocycles with diverse biological activities.