Relay tricyclic Pd( <scp>ii</scp> )/Ag( <scp>i</scp> ) catalysis: design of a four-component reaction driven by nitrene-transfer on isocyanide yields inhibitors of EGFR

Abstract

Synthesis of pyrazolo[1,5-c]quinazolines from four easily available precursors is presented through a one-pot tricyclic Pd(ii)/Ag(i) relay catalysis. The bimetallic relay cascade forges five new chemical bonds by concatenating six discrete chemical steps. The relay catalysis enables four-component assembly of pyrazolo[1,5-c]quinazolines that selectively inhibit EGFR, exhibit apoptosis through the ROS-induced mitochondrial-mediated pathway, and arrest the cell cycle at the G1 phase.