Cover Feature: The Baldwin Rearrangement: Synthesis of 2‐Acylaziridines (Eur. J. Org. Chem. 43/2017)

The Cover Feature shows the synthesis of 2-acylaziridines by Baldwin rearrangement. Known for about fifty years, the Baldwin rearrangement has remained undervalued for its potential in organic synthesis. This is quite surprising as the key substrates, 4-isoxazolines, are readily available compounds. The cover feature illustrates the thermodynamically favoured ring-contraction process converting highly reactive 4-isoxazolines into more stable 2-acylaziridines. This sigmatropic process is highly stereoselective and can be induced by simple heating or upon metal-catalysis activation. Here, we wish to highlight its significance for the synthesis of complex aziridine-containing targets. More information can be found in the Microreview by S. Tangara, A. Kanazawa and S. Py.