Mild methods for conducting Knorr chemistry with
![](/images/gifchars/beta2.gif)
-ketonitriles were developed. This enabled the preparation of 4-cyano-penta-substituted pyrroles and gave access to
![](/images/gifchars/alpha.gif)
-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptorpotentiators for biological evaluation. In addition, a series ofalkyl and aryl
![](/images/gifchars/beta2.gif)
-ketonitriles were employed in Knorr cyclizations to probe steric tolerance and the possibility of directintroduction of aromatic moieties via Knorr chemistry.