An Exclusively trans‐Selective Chlorocarbamoylation of Alkynes Enabled by a Palladium/Phosphaadamantane Catalyst

Pharmaceutically relevant methylene oxindoles are synthesized by a palladium(0)-catalyzed intramolecular chlorocarbamoylation reaction of alkynes. A relatively underexplored class of caged phosphine ligands is uniquely suited for this transformation, enabling high levels of reactivity and exquisite trans selectivity. This report entails the first transition-metal-catalyzed atom-economic addition of a carbamoyl chloride across an alkyne.