Inherent Weakly Coordinating Oxo-Group-Directed Ruthenium(II)-Catalyzed C5 Functionalization of 2‑Arylquinolin-4(1H)‑ones

A Ru(II)-catalyzed inherent weakly coordinating oxo-group-directed site-selective C5 functionalization of 2-arylquinolin-4(1H)-ones using various coupling partners like allyl alcohols, acrylates, styrenes, maleimides, and acrylamide has been described. The developed method allowed the synthesis of C5-substituted 2-arylquinolin-4(1H)-ones in good to excellent yields. The protocol is compatible with a broad range of functional groups and can be used on the gram scale. In addition, based on the control experiments, a plausible reaction mechanism has been proposed for this transformation.