Controlled rearrangement of lactam-tethered allenols with brominating reagents: a combined experimental and theoretical study on α- versus β-keto lactam formation.

N-Bromosuccinimide (NBS) smoothly promotes the ring expansion of lactam-tethered allenols to efficiently afford cyclic α- or β-ketoamides with good yields and high chemo-, regio-, and diastereoselectivity, through controlled C-C bond cleavage of the β- or γ-lactam nucleus. Interestingly, in contrast to the rearrangement reactions of 2-azetidinone-tethered allenols, which lead to the corresponding tetramic acid derivatives (β-keto lactam adducts) as the sole products, the reactions of 2-indolinone-tethered allenols under similar conditions give quinoline-2,3-diones (α-keto lactam adducts) as the exclusive or major products. To rationalize the experimental observations, theoretical studies ha…