Facile palladium(0)-catalyzed ring expansion reactions of hydroxy methoxyallenyl cyclic compounds via hydropalladation.

Palladium(0)-catalyzed one-atom ring expansion of various hydroxy methoxyallenyl compounds has been achieved in excellent yields without the use of aryl halides. Hydroxy methoxyallenylisoindolinones, -indanones, and -phthalans have been readily converted to the corresponding isoquinolones, naphthoquinones, and isochromanones in the presence of P(o-tolyl)(3).