Palladium-Catalyzed Multistep Tandem Carbonylation/N-Dealkylation/Carbonylation Reaction: Access to Isatoic Anhydrides.

A novel and efficient synthesis of isatoic anhydride derivatives was developed via palladium-catalyzed multistep tandem carbonylation/N-dealkylation/carbonylation reaction with alkyl as the leaving group and tertiary anilines as nitrogen nucleophiles. This approach features good functional group compatibility and readily available starting materials. Furthermore, it provided a convenient approach for the synthesis of biologically and medicinally useful evodiamine.