Palladium-Catalyzed Reductive [5+1] Cycloaddition of 3-Acetoxy-1,4-enynes with CO: Access to Phenols Enabled by Hydrosilanes.

A new palladium-catalyzed reductive [5+1] cycloaddition of 3-acetoxy-1,4-enynes with CO, enabled by hydrosilanes, has been developed for delivering valuable functionalized phenols. This methodology employs hydrosilanes as the external reagent to facilitate the [5+1] carbonylative benzannulation. The reaction is a conceptually and mechanistically novel carbonylative cycloaddition route for the construction of substituted phenols, through the formation of four new chemical bonds, with excellent functional-group tolerance.