Divergent synthesis of flavones and flavanones from 2'-hydroxydihydrochalcones palladium(ii)-catalyzed oxidative cyclization.

Divergent and versatile synthetic routes to flavones and flavanones efficient Pd(ii) catalysis are disclosed. These Pd(ii) catalyses expediently provide a variety of flavones and flavanones from 2'-hydroxydihydrochalcones as common intermediates, depending on oxidants and additives, discriminate oxidative cyclization sequences involving dehydrogenation, respectively, in a highly atom-economic manner.