Cascade Palladium‐Catalyzed Direct Intramolecular Arylation/Alkene Isomerization Sequences: Synthesis of Indoles and Benzofurans

One route, two cycles: A palladium-catalyzed intramolecular direct arylation reaction combined with an isomerization step provided a straightforward synthetic route to both indoles and benzofurans (see scheme). Isolation and functionalization of intermediate alkene isomers allowed the formation of variants having substituents remote from the core.