Molecular diversity generation through reactive lactams

Generation of combinatorial libraries has come to occupy a central stage in the search for novel lead structures/pharmacophores needed for new drug discovery research through molecular diversity. In the creation of molecular diversity by synthesis, the synthetic strategies should be short-path, convergent, high yielding and amenable to be carried out under mild conditions. Activated lactams are very suitable for combinatorial synthesis and for creation of molecular diversity. The present review provides an illustrative account of our work on the synthetic utility of activated lactams for creating diverse variety of prototypes by short-path, high yielding synthetic reactions amenable to create a synthetic combinatorial library.