One-step photochemical method switches nitrogen and carbon to convert pyrazoles into imidazoles

Scheme

Source: © Daniele Leonori/RWTH Aachen University

Transformation tolerates a broad range of functional groups while preserving the peripheral substitution of the heterocycle

Scientists have developed a photochemical reaction that converts pyrazoles into imidazoles by swapping a nitrogen and a carbon atom in a single step. The method leaves the rest of the molecule untouched, opening a straightforward route to compounds that are otherwise expensive or require bespoke synthesis.