Synthesis of Polycyclic Sultams by Palladium-Catalyzed Intramolecular Cyclization

A practical and high-yielding method for the synthesis of new sultams from readily available sulfonamides, 1-naphthylamine, and 2-halobenzyl bromides is reported. A variety of tricyclic, tetracyclic, and pentacyclic sultams have been prepared via palladium-catalyzed, ligand-free intramolecular cyclization. Detailed mechanistic studies of the reaction pathway are also described.