Palladium-catalyzed cascade reactions of 1-(3-arylprop-2-ynyloxy)-2-bromo benzene derivatives with organoboron compounds.

Applications of the cascade cyclocarbopalladation reaction followed by Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reactions of the readily available aryl-substituted propargylic aryl ethers with arylboronic acid and potassium trans-β-styryltrifluoroborate accomplish a new versatile entry in the synthesis of benzofuran derivatives. Notably, a new approach to the challenging synthesis of C3 functionalized 2-unsubstituted benzofurans has been developed by a cyclocarbopalladation/cross-coupling/aromatization process.