Palladium-catalyzed oxidative cyclopropanation of enamides and norbornenes initiated by C–H activation

A novel palladium-catalyzed oxidative cyclopropanation of enamides and norbornenes has been developed. The reaction proceeded through palladium-catalyzed vinyl C–H bond activation of enamides followed by two migratory insertions, β-(N)H elimination and hydrolyzation cascade steps. The reaction tolerates a range of functional groups and provides an effective method for the synthesis of cyclopropane-fused norbornanes in good yields under mild conditions.