Palladium-catalyzed carbonylative annulation of terminal alkynes: synthesis of coumarins and 2-quinolones

o-Iodophenols and o-iodoaniline derivatives react with terminal alkynes under 1 atm of CO in the presence of pyridine and catalytic amounts of Pd(OAC)(2) to generate coumarins and 2-quinolones, respectively, as the only products. Terminal alkynes bearing alkyl, aryl, silyl, hydroxyl, ester and cyano substituents are effective in these processes affording the desired products in moderate yields. The formation of coumarins and 2-quinolones in this process is in stark contrast with all previously described palladium-catalyzed reactions of o-iodophenols or o-iodoanilines with terminal alkynes and CO, which have afforded chromones and 4-quinolones. Moreover, under our reaction conditions terminal alkynes insert into the carbon-palladium bond instead of undergoing a Sonogashira-type coupling as confirmed by an isotope labeling experiment. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.