Exploiting the divergent reactivity of aryl-palladium intermediates for the rapid assembly of fluorene and phenanthrene derivatives.

They all fall down: The value of domino processes can be greatly enhanced when the possibility exists for one to selectively diverge from a common intermediate. In preliminary studies the dual reactivity of aryl-palladium intermediates is exploited. A diverse array of fluorene and phenanthrene derivatives were synthesized in a rapid and efficient manner (see scheme).