LAUSR

Abstract Pyrrole formiate derivatives were synthesized through ring contraction of corresponding 3-carboxylate-1,4-dihydropyridines (3-CDHPs) mediated by 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl (TEMPO). 2-Carboxylate-3-aryl-1H-pyrroles (2) and 3-carboxylate-4-aryl-1H-pyrroles (3) were obtained under readily accessible reaction conditions. To gain deep insights into this transformation, DFT calculations were carried out to establish the plausible reaction mechanism. The result revealed that the processes, including release of hydrogen, coupling with TEMPO, ring-opening of DHP scaffold, cleavage of O N bond in TEMPO moiety, fabrication of pyrrole scaffold and dissociation of formyl were incorporated in the transformation, which was confirmed further by the characterization of a byproduct and the detection of key intermediates using the LC-MS method.