Palladium-catalyzed addition of potassium aryltrifluoroborates to aliphatic nitriles: synthesis of alkyl aryl ketones, diketone compounds, and 2-arylbenzo[b]furans.

Xingyong Wang, Miaochang Liu, Long Xu, Qingzong Wang, Jiuxi Chen, Jinchang Ding, Huayue Wu

Index: J. Org. Chem. 78(11) , 5273-81, (2013)

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Abstract

A palladium-catalyzed addition of potassium aryltrifluoroborates to aliphatic nitriles has been developed, leading to a wide range of alkyl aryl ketones with moderate to excellent yields. Moreover, several dinitriles (e.g., malononitrile, glutaronitrile, and adiponitrile) were applicable to this process for the construction of 1,3-, 1,5-, or 1,6-dicarbonyl compounds. The scope of the developed approach is successfully explored toward the one-step synthesis of 2-arylbenzo[b]furans via sequential addition and intramolecular annulation reactions. The methodology accepted a wide range of substrates and is applicable to library synthesis.