Synthesis and reactions of 3-pyrrolidinones

(Chemical Equation Presented) This review presents a survey of the synthetic methods and reactions of 3-pyrrolidinones I (R = H, alkyl, acyl, ester; R₁ = H, alkyl, cyano, ester, etc). 3-Pyrrolidinones are synthetically versatiles substrate, as they can be used for synthesis of a large variety of heterocyclic compounds, such as indoles and 5-deazapteroic acid analogues and as a raw material for drug synthesis. The high reactivity of an active methylene group next to the carbonyl of the pyrrolidine ring is useful for various syntheses.