A convenient one-step access to biologically important phenanthridinones 1 has been realized based upon Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction. Reactions of 2-aminophenylboronic acid 2 with 2-halobenzoate 3 took place smoothly to afford substituted phenanthridinones 1 in excellent yields in the presence of palladium(II) acetate and 2-dicyclohexylphosphino-2',6'-dimethoxybiphenyl (SPhos) as precatalysts. A natural product phenaglydon lb was synthesized in one-pot manner from readily available starting materials in 95% yield. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.