Palladium-Catalyzed Cascade sp2 C–H Bond Functionalizations Allowing One-Pot Access to 4-Aryl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinolines from N-Allyl-N-arylsulfonamides

We have developed a palladium-catalyzed cascade reaction allowing an efficient synthesis of 4-aryl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinolines from N-allyl-N-arylsulfonamides and benzenesulfonyl chlorides. In this transformation, two C(sp2)–C(sp3) bonds were formed via activation of C(sp2)–H bonds. The reaction proceeds using the easily accessible catalyst PdCl2, with Li2CO3 as inexpensive base and CuBr as additive, and tolerates a wide variety of substituents on both reaction partners.