Palladium-catalyzed Heck/aminocarbonylation of alkene-tethered carbamoyl chlorides with nitro compounds for the synthesis of carbamoyl-substituted oxindoles.

A straightforward and efficient approach for the synthesis of carbamoyl-substituted oxindoles has been developed via a palladium-catalyzed Heck cyclization and reductive aminocarbonylation reaction of alkene-tethered carbamoyl chlorides with nitro compounds. The reaction showed good compatibility toward versatile functional groups, and both nitroarenes and nitroalkanes were well tolerated. Using Mo(CO)6 as a solid CO source, without external reductants, a broad range of carbamoyl-substituted oxindoles were obtained in moderate to high yields.