Palladium-catalyzed oxidative C-H bond coupling of steered acetanilides and aldehydes: a facile access to ortho-acylacetanilides.

A palladium-catalyzed oxidative C-H bond functionalization/ortho-acylation of acetanilides using easily accessible aldehyde as the acyl source is described. In the presence of a Pd(TFA)(2) catalyst and tert-butylhydroperoxide at 90 °C in general, an array of ortho-acylacetanilides can be afforded in good yields.