Palladium-catalyzed coupling of vinylogous amides with aryl halides: applications to the synthesis of heterocycles

[formula: see text] Described herein is the first example of the palladium-catalyzed coupling of vinylogous amides with aryl bromides and chlorides. The scope of this reaction with respect to the aryl component is investigated. Additionally, a tandem reaction sequence in which the above coupling is followed by an intramolecular Heck reaction is presented. These reactions can be applied to high-yielding, one-pot syntheses of nitrogen-containing heterocycles.