α-Bromodiazoacetamides – a new class of diazo compounds for catalyst-free, ambient temperature intramolecular C–H insertion reactions

In this work, we introduce a new class of halodiazocarbonyl compounds, α-halodiazoacetamides, which through a metal-free, ambient-temperature thermolysis perform intramolecular C–H insertions to produce α-halo-β-lactams. When carried out with α-bromodiazoacetamides bearing cyclic side chains, the thermolysis reaction affords bicyclic α-halo-β-lactams, in some cases in excellent yields, depending on the ring size and substitution pattern of the cyclic amide side chains.