Intramolecular Arylation of Tertiary Enamides through Pd(OAc)2‑Catalyzed Dehydrogenative Cross-Coupling Reaction: Construction of Fused N‑Heterocyclic Scaffolds and Synthesis of Isoindolobenzazepine Alkaloids

Pd­(OAc)2-catalyzed intramolecular dehydrogenative cross-coupling reaction between tertiary enamides, which were derived from the condensation of 2-arylethylamines and methyl o-acetylbenzoate, and arenes enabled synthesis of 7,8-dihydro-5H-benzo­[4,5]­azepino­[2,1-a]­isoindol-5-one derivatives under mild conditions. The synthetic method was applied in the total synthesis of aporhoeadane alkaloids palmanine, lennoxamine, and chilenamine in only three or four steps.