Regioselective Synthesis of Benzimidazolones via Cascade C–N Coupling of Monosubstituted Ureas

Abstract

A direct method for the regioselective construction of benzimidazolones is reported wherein a single palladium catalyst is employed to couple monosubstituted urea substrates with differentially substituted 1,2-dihaloaromatic systems. In this method, the catalyst is able to promote a cascade of two discrete chemoselective C-N bond-forming processes that allows the highly selective and predictable formation of complex heterocycles from simple, readily available starting materials.