Palladium(II) Catalyzed C-H Functionalization Cascades for the Diastereoselective Synthesis of Polyheterocycles.

C-H activation offers huge potential in the generation of complex structures from simple starting materials. Herein we report the development of a highly diastereoselective palladium(II) catalyzed C-H functionalization cascade to produce novel, unsaturated polyheterocycles from simple diene-tethered heterocyclic starting materials. The reaction is applicable to both indole and pyrrole based substrates and tolerates a wide range of functional group substitutions around the heteroaromatic core. The polyheterocyclic products are formed as single diastereoisomers, with two new stereocenters formed in a single step.