Organocatalytic Diastereoselective Synthesis of Diazoaryl-benzo[<i>b</i>]azepine Derivatives

To construct multisubstituted seven-membered nitrogenous heterocyclic scaffolds, an efficient method, employing 2-aminoaryl N-monosubstituted hydrazones and 2-oxo-3-butenoates under Brønsted acid catalysis, has been developed. This strategy highlights the umpolung reactivity of 2-aminobenzaldehyde arylhydrazones toward 2-oxo-3-butenoates to afford (E)-diazoaryl-benzo­[b]­azepine derivatives in excellent yields (89–99%) and with high diastereoselectivities (>19:1 dr).