Iridium-Catalyzed Annulation Reactions of Thiophenes with Carboxylic Acids: Direct Evidence for a Heck-type Pathway

The functionalization of thiophenes is a fundamental and important reaction. Herein, we disclose iridium-catalyzed one-pot annulation reactions of (benzo) thiophenes with (hetero) aromatic or alpha,beta-unsaturated carboxylic acids, which afford thiophene-fused coumarin-type frameworks. Dearomatization reactions of 2-substituted thiophenes with alpha,beta-unsaturated carboxylic acids deliver various thiophene-containing spirocyclic products. The occurrence of two interconnected reactions provides direct evidence for a Heck-type pathway. The mechanistic scenario described herein is distinctly different from the SEAr and concerted metalation-protodemetalation (CMD) pathways encountered in the well-described oxidative C-H/C-H cross-coupling reactions of thiophenes with other heteroarenes.