Palladium-Catalyzed Carbonylation of β-Arylethylamide Directed by Oxalyl Amide in the Presence of Carbon Monoxide

Pd-catalyzed regioselective coupling of β-C(sp2)–H bonds in aromatic amines protected by oxalyl amide with carbon monoxide is reported. The reaction could tolerate various functional groups and could afford good to excellent yields of the corresponding 3,4-dihydroisoquinolinone derivatives. Remarkably, it could also tolerate β-arylethylamino acid and thiopheneethylamine derivatives, thus showing their potential for producing several important units for bioactive compound synthesis.