Rapid synthesis of polysubstituted phenanthridines from simple aliphatic/aromatic nitriles and iodo arenes <i>via</i> Pd(<scp>ii</scp>) catalyzed domino C–C/C–C/C–N bond formation
An efficient and straightforward method has been developed for the synthesis of polysubstituted phenanthridines from simple aryl iodides and alkyl/aryl nitriles via the palladium-catalyzed nucleophilic addition of aryl iodides to nitriles followed by cascade formation of C–C and C–N bonds viz. in situ generated imine directed sequential two fold C–H activation.
A simple and practical approach has been established for the synthesis of 6-benzylphenanthridines from benzylic hydrocarbons and 2-isocyanobiphenyls via C(sp3)–H/C(sp2)–H bond functionalization under metal-free condition. The reaction exhibits good functional group tolerance and delivers the target products in moderate to excellent yields. The preliminary mechanistic investigation revealed that a radical