One-Pot Synthesis of Cyclopentenols from Vinylethylene Carbonates via Palladium-Catalyzed Decarboxylative Allylation and Cascade Oxidation-Cyclization

An efficient, one-pot protocol for the synthesis of highly functionalized cyclopentenols has been accomplished starting from vinylethylene carbonates and bissulfonylmethanes. This protocol proceeds via sequential palladium-catalyzed decarboxylative allylation and oxidative cyclization in an operationally simple manner. A wide range of substrates is well-accommodated to afford diverse cyclopentenols in moderate to good yields with excellent selectivity. Further control experiments demonstrated that the selective formation of the isolatable (Z)-allyl alcohols (up to Z/E = >19:1) underlies the success of the subsequent cascade oxidation-cyclization.