Copper-catalyzed cascade annulation between α-bromocarbonyls and biaryl or (Z)-arylvinylacetylenes enabling a direct synthesis of dibenzocycloheptanes and related compounds.

Copper-catalyzed cascade annulation of γ,δ-unsaturated α-bromocarbonyls with biaryl or (Z)-arylvinylacetylenes is presented, giving an expeditious access to dibenzocycloheptanes and related compounds in moderate to high yields. It provides a novel method for the one-pot synthesis of cycloheptane and cycloheptene-fused polycyclic scaffolds featuring a rare 7-endo-trig radical cyclization.