Ligand-Free Pd-Catalyzed Double Carbonylation of Aryl Iodides with Amines to α-Ketoamides under Atmospheric Pressure of Carbon Monoxide and at Room Temperature.

A general Pd-catalyzed double carbonylation of aryl iodides with secondary or primary amines to produce α-ketoamides at atmospheric CO pressure has been developed. This transformation proceeds successfully even at room temperature and in the absence of any ligand and additive. A wide range of aryl iodides and amines can be coupled to the desired α-ketoamides in high yields with excellent chemoselectivities. Importantly, the current methodology has been demonstrated to be applied in the synthesis of bioactive molecules and chiral α-ketoamides.