Palladium-Catalyzed α-Arylation of Meyers's Chiral Bicyclic Lactams and a Deprotonative Ring-Opening Sideline.

This article discusses the synthesis of α-aryl carbonyl compounds using palladium catalysis. The authors focus on the deprotonative α-arylation of Meyers's chiral bicyclic lactams (MCBLs) as a potential method for synthesizing these compounds. They explore various bases and catalytic systems to optimize the reaction conditions and achieve high yields. The authors also investigate the reaction scope by testing different substrates and bridgehead substituents. The results suggest that steric effects play a crucial role in determining the reactivity of the substrates. The authors propose a plausible mechanism for the formation of the arylated lactam products. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the synthesis of α-aryl carbonyl compounds and highlights the potential of MCBLs as versatile building blocks. [Extracted from the article]