Lanthanide triflates were found to promote the palladium-catalyzed cyclization of alkenyl β- keto esters and amides. In the presence of catalytic amounts of PdCl2 (MeCN) 2 and Ln (OTf) 3, various alkenyl β-keto esters and amides underwent regioselective cyclization reactions to give six-, seven-, or eight-membered-ring carbocycles in moderate to excellent yields.
