Palladium-catalyzed coupling reaction of 2-iodobiphenyls with alkenyl bromides for the construction of 9-(diorganomethylidene)fluorenes.

An atom economical protocol for the construction of 9-(diorganomethylidene)fluorenes through palladium-catalyzed coupling reactions of 2-iodobiphenyls with alkenyl bromides has been reported. The reaction proceeds through the C-H activation/oxidative addition/reduction elimination/intramolecular Heck coupling reaction to afford a series of 9-(diorganomethylidene)fluorenes with good yields. Control experiments demonstrate that a five-membered palladacycle acts as a key intermediate and β-H elimination serves as the rate-limiting step.