A palladium-catalyzed oxidative cycloaromatization of biaryls with alkynes using molecular oxygen as the oxidant

Article abstract of DOI:10.1002/anie.200903975

Dual activation of C-H bonds has enabled the preparation of polycyclic aromatics from arylindoles and arylbenzofurans in the absence of a directing group, and with using O₂ as the oxidant (see scheme). Synthetically and medicinally important polycyclic aromatics have been easily prepared, and some of the resulting polycyclic heteroaromatics exhibit intense fluorescence.