Pd(II)-Catalyzed One-Pot Multiple C-C Bond Formation: En Route Synthesis of Succinimide-Fused Unsymmetrical 9,10-Dihydrophenanthrenes from Aryl Iodides and Maleimides

An expeditious approach has been developed for the synthesis of succinimide-fused unsymmetrical 9,10-dihydrophenanthrenes from simple aryl iodides and maleimides. The developed transformation, overall proceeding with high regioselectivity via a cascade approach through palladium(II)-catalyzed Micheal-type addition/C-H activation/intramolecular cross-dehydrogenative coupling (ICDC)/C-H activation, allows formation of four fundamental carbon-carbon bonds in one-pot fashion. The reactions tolerate broad functional groups and satisfy the parameters of atom and step economy. Detailed mechanistic studies were carried out to support the proposed synthetic pathway.