Sequential palladium-catalysed C- and N-arylation reactions as a practical and general protocol for the synthesis of the first series of oxcarbazepine analogues

The first series of oxcarbazepine analogues, starting from readily-available materials and through a high-yielding five-step sequence based on palladium catalysis, is reported. The so-obtained compounds incorporate not only a variety of substituents in both of the aryl rings comprising the framework of an oxcarbazepine, but also involve the more challenging palladium-catalysed coupling of a number of heteroaromatic substrates. The addition of small amounts of water in some of the metal-catalysed processes showed a beneficial effect, highly increasing the selectivity of such reactions. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.