Efficient palladium-catalyzed double carbonylation of o-dibromobenzenes: synthesis of thalidomide.

We describe here a convenient and mild procedure for double carbonylation of o-dibromobenzenes with various 2-amino pyridines and naturally occurring amines, thus providing in good to excellent yields N-substituted phthalimides by using this palladium-catalyzed carbonylation procedure. Furthermore, for the first time we have applied the developed synthetic protocol for the synthesis of biologically active molecule thalidomide via a single step carbonylative cyclization reaction in excellent yield.