Synthesis of dihydroindenofuran scaffold via a Pd-catalyzed 5-endo-trig cyclization/enolate O-alkylation cascade

An efficient synthesis of dihydroindenofurans was carried out starting from the Baylis-Hillman adducts via a Pd-catalyzed 5-endo-trig-carbopalladation and enolate O-alkylation cascade as a key step. This is the first example of enolate O-alkylation with a C(sp3)-bound palladium intermediate.