A facile one-pot three-component synthesis of ferrocene-grafted dispiro pyrrolidine/pyrrolizidine scaffolds through intermolecular [3+2] cycloaddition reaction of ferrocenyl Baylis-Hillman adduct

A one-pot synthesis of ferrocene-grafted dispiropyrrolidine/pyrrolizidine scaffolds has been accomplished in good yields through a facile 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of various azomethine ylides derived from diketones and secondary amino acids with Baylis-Hillman adduct derived from ferrocene carbaldehyde. The regiochemical and stereochemical outcomes of the cycloaddition reaction were ascertained by X-ray crystallographic studies of one of the cycloadducts.