Selective C–C bond cleavage-enabled annulation between β-lactams and π- systems via Ni–Al bimetallic catalysis

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 03 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01552-5 Selective C–C bond activation adjacent to two heteroatoms is challenging due to competing C–X cleavage. This work develops a Ni–Al catalytic system that enables precise activation of the inert C2–C3 bond in β-lactams, facilitating efficient annulations with π-systems with high regiocontrol.