Pd-Catalyzed C(sp2 )-H Alkoxycarbonylation of Phenethyl- and Benzylamines with Chloroformates as CO Surrogates.

The site-selective functionalization of C-H bonds within a complex molecule remains a challenging task of capital synthetic importance. Herein, an unprecedented Pd-catalyzed C(sp2 )-H alkoxycarbonylation of phenylalanine derivatives and other amines featuring picolinamide as the directing group (DG) is reported. This oxidative coupling is distinguished by its scalability, operational simplicity, and avoids the use of toxic carbon monoxide as the C1 source. Remarkably, the easy cleavage of the DG enables the efficient assembly of isoindolinone compounds. Density Functional Theory calculations support a PdII /PdIV catalytic cycle.