Ruthenium-Catalyzed Intramolecular Hydroarylation of Arenes with Olefins in Water

A Ru-catalyzed intramolecular hydroarylation of arenes in an aqueous medium is presented herein. With the aid of methyl phenyl sulfoximine or an amide directing group, this atom-efficient hydroarylation of arenes ensued dihydrobenzofuran derivatives. Sequential double hydroarylation of arene motifs resulted in highly peripheral-decorated heterocycles. Deuterium labeling studies and control experiments offer valuable information in understanding the reactivity and the mechanistic data.