Carbonylation Access to Phthalimides Using Self-Sufficient Directing Group and Nucleophile.

Herein we report a novel palladium-catalyzed oxidative carbonylation reaction for the synthesis of phthalimides with high atom- and step-economy. In our strategy, the imine and H2O, which are generated in situ from the condensation of aldehyde and amine, serve as self-sufficient directing group and nucleophile, respectively. This method provides rapid access to phthalimides starting from readily available materials in a one-pot manner. Various phthalimide derivatives are constructed efficiently, including medicinally and biologically active phthalimide-containing compounds.