Nitrogen atom insertion into arenols to access benzazepines.

Advances in site-selective molecular editing have enabled structural modification on complex molecules. However, thus far, their applications have been restricted to C-H functionalization chemistry. The modification of the underlying molecular skeleton remains limited.

Cobalt-catalyzed intramolecular decarbonylative coupling of acylindoles and diarylketones through the cleavage of C-C bonds.

We report here cobalt--heterocyclic carbene catalytic systems for the intramolecular decarbonylative coupling through the chelation-assisted C-C bond cleavage of acylindoles and diarylketones. The reaction tolerates a wide range of functional groups such as alkyl, aryl, and heteroaryl groups, giving the decarbonylative products in moderate to excellent yields. This transformation involves the cleavage of two C-C bonds and formation of a new C-C bond without the use of noble metals, thus reinforcing the potential application of decarbonylation as an effective tool for C-C bond formation.