Tandem cycloisomerization/Suzuki coupling of arylethynyl MIDA boronates

A tandem gold-catalyzed cycloisomerization/Suzuki cross-coupling sequence involving arylethynyl-N-methyliminodiacetic acid boronates is described. Combining the mildness of homogeneous gold catalysis with the versatility of N-methyliminodiacetic acid (MIDA) boronates, this tandem two-step method enables the rapid assembly of various aryl-substituted heterocycles without having to isolate or purify any heterocyclic MIDA boronate intermediates. Another major advantage of this method is that a wide range of heterocycles bearing different aryl groups may be made from a single MIDA boronate alkyne precursor. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.