Regioselective functionalization of quinolin-4(1H)-ones via sequential palladium-catalyzed reactions

A practical and general synthesis of 1,3,6-trisubstituted quinolin-4(1H)-ones starting from 1-alkyl-6-bromo-3-iodoquinolin-4(1H)-one is described, based on regioselective sequential palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions, namely Suzuki-Miyaura, Sonogashira and aminocarbonylation reactions, under microwave irradiation. Good substrate generality, ease of execution and practicability make this method exploitable for the generation of libraries of chemically diverse 4-quinolones.