Pd-Catalyzed Carbonylation of Diazo Compounds at Atmospheric Pressure: A Catalytic Approach to Ketenes

The carbonylation of carbenes through catalytic cycles is highly desirable due to the importance of ketene-mediated reactions in organic synthesis. In this investigation, a highly efficient and mild catalytic approach toward ketene intermediates has been developed based on Pd-catalyzed carbonylation of diazo compounds with CO. When alpha-diazocarbonyl compounds or N-tosylhydrazone salts are heated in the presence of a palladium catalyst under atmospheric pressure of CO, ketene intermediates are formed in situ, where they undergo further reactions with various nucleophiles such as alcohols, amines, or imines. The Pd-catalyzed tandem carbonylation-Staudinger cycloaddition gives beta-lactam derivatives in good yields with excellent trans diastereoselectivity. The results from DFT calculation on the reaction mechanism suggest that Pd is involved in the [2 + 2] cycloaddition process and affects the diastereoselectivity of the beta-lactam products by assisting isomerization of the addition intermediate. On the other hand, the acylketenes generated from the Pd-catalyzed carbonylation of alpha-diazoketones react with imines in a formal [4 + 2] cycloaddition manner to afford 1,3-dioxin-4-one derivatives. This straightforward carbonylation provides a new approach toward highly efficient catalytic generation of ketene species under mild conditions.