Pd/Norbornene-Catalyzed Tandem o -C–H Alkylation or Acylation/ ipso -Intramolecular Direct Arylation of Aryl Bromides

A novel palladium-catalyzed, norbornene-mediated ortho -intermolecular C–H functionalization/ ipso -intramolecular direct arylation of aryl bromides is reported. Through careful tuning of the reaction conditions, ortho -alkylation and acylation of aryl bromides have been realized with good efficiency. This method provides a novel route to afford abundant polycyclic and heteroaromatic compounds from simple and readily available raw material under mild conditions. This transformation is scalable and tolerates a broad range of functional groups.