Iridium(i)-catalyzed hydration/esterification of 2-alkynylphenols and carboxylic acids.

An iridium(i)-catalyzed hydration/esterification of 2-alkynylphenols and carboxylic acids is described. Various 2-alkynylphenols and carboxylic acids could be used in this process to furnish aromatic ortho-acyloxyketones via a regio- and stereo-selective addition reaction followed by intramolecular rearrangement. This protocol features mild reaction conditions and broad substrate scope. Further transformations were conducted to demonstrate the synthetic application.