The palladium(0) Suzuki cross-coupling reaction as the key step in the synthesis of aporphinoids

We report a flexible approach to the total synthesis of 4,5-dioxoaporphines based on the palladium(0) catalyzed Suzuki cross-coupling of phenylboronic acids with sterically hindered 2-bromo phenyl acetates or bromo phenyl acetamides, followed by sequential bicyclization of biarylacetamides promoted by oxalyl chloride/Lewis acid. The reduction of 4,5-dioxoaporphines provides a chemoselective entry to aporphines, dehydroaporphines and 4-hydroxy-dehydroaporphines. A three-steps total synthesis for (±)-O,O′-dimethylapomorphine from readily accessible precursors is also reported.