The synthesis of N-containing heterocyclic compounds catalyzed by copper/L-proline

N-containing heterocyclic compounds are one of the most important motifs prevalent in various bioactive natural products and pharmaceuticals. Given the significance of N-containing heterocyclic compounds, various synthetic strategies have been developed. Copper/ligand (abbreviated as CuL])-catalyzed cascade reaction is a powerful and efficient tool for the construction of N-containing heterocyclic compounds. L-proline is one universal ligand and has been utilized in the copper-catalyzed reactions. In this review, copper/L-proline-catalyzed tandem reaction to synthesize the five- and six-membered compounds is emphatically introduced. By comparing the yields in the presence and absence of the ligand, the importance of L-proline is recorded. Moreover, the function of L-proline is expounded on the basis of the reaction mechanism from original article.