Oxidative rearrangement of spiro cyclobutane cyclic aminals: efficient construction of bicyclic amidines

A new rearrangement reaction of spirocyclic cyclobutane N-halo aminals is described. This process, promoted by treatment of the aminals with N-halosuccinimides (NXS, X = Br or Cl), efficiently produces bicyclic amidines by a pathway involving initial N-halogenation of one of the aminal nitrogens followed by cyclobutane ring expansion through 1,2-C-to-N migration with simultaneous N-X bond cleavage.