Multicomponent and One-pot Syntheses of Quinoxalines

Quinoxalines represent bicyclic nitrogen-containing heterocycles with a wide array of applications. They exhibit a multitude of biological activities relevant in medicinal chemistry as well as a plethora of luminescence properties. Quinoxaline syntheses exploit the whole raft of multicomponent syntheses from domino to sequential or consecutive reactions, harvesting well-known synthetic concepts and reactions, such as Ugi-reactions, but also leading to the development of novel reactions and sequences. Diversity-oriented synthesis and transition metal catalyzed multicomponent reactions open efficient pathways to quinoxalines and quinoxaline-containing moieties in a one-pot fashion. This review outlines the underlying reaction-based principles of multicomponent syntheses of quinoxalines and summarizes recent developments quinoxaline-directed MCRs, illustrating their scopes.