Synthetic Organic Chemistry of α-Imino Ketones: A Graphical Review

alpha-Imino ketones are traditionally synthesized through condensing simple and readily available alpha-keto aldehydes or 1,2-diketones with primary or secondary amines. They are structurally similar to many naturally occurring biological substances due to the presence of the imino group (-N=C-). Chemically, C-acylimines exhibit ambiphilic reactivity, making their synthetic chemistry particularly attractive and viable for the creation of various azacyclic and heterocyclic compounds, including their asymmetric counterparts. Consequently, numerous synthetic strategies have been developed starting from these building blocks. Herein, we provide a graphical review of stateof-the-art synthetic efforts over the past 20 years, focusing on the use of a-imino ketones (both cyclic and acyclic) for the synthesis of small molecules and complex systems.