Palladium/XuPhos-catalyzed enantioselective cascade Heck/intermolecular C(sp2)–H alkylation reaction

Abstract

Palladium-catalyzed enantioselective domino Heck/intramolecular C–H functionalization reaction, as a valuable strategy for creating molecular diversity, has remained a prominent challenge. Here, we describe a Pd/XuPhos catalyst for asymmetric domino Heck/intermolecular C–H alkylation of unactivated alkenes with diverse polyfluoro- and heteroarenes in a highly chemo- and enantioselective manner. This process enables efficient synthesis of various dihydrobenzofurans, indolines and indanes, which are of interest in pharmaceutical research and other areas. Late-stage modifications of the core structures of natural products are also well showcased. Moreover, synthetic transformations create a valuable platform for preparing a series of functionalized molecules. Several control experiments for mechanistic study are conducted to pursue a further understanding of the reaction.