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The transmetalation triggered rhodium‐catalyzed C−H bond activation and tandem annulation of 2‐biphenylboronic acids with sulfoxonium ylides or iodonium ylides has been developed. Various products of phenanthrenes were constructed under redox‐neutral conditions in 34–86% yields. Several mechanism exploration experiments and derivatization reactions were conducted in sequence to gain a deeper understanding of the process and the potential of this transformation. It offers an alternative approach for the synthesis of phenanthrene derivatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A palladium‐catalyzed domino approach toward synthetically challenging phenanthrene derivatives has been developed. The procedure involves a sequence of oxidative homocoupling, cyclization, and oxidation starting from deoxybenzoin derivatives halogenated in the ortho position. Good assembly efficiency and good functional group tolerance have been observed with yields from moderate to excellent. A plausible reaction mechanism has been proposed based on experimental results and literature data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]