A novel imidazol-2-ylidene as a ligand for palladium-catalyzed synthesis of oxyindoles from o-haloanilides

Oxyindoles were formed in good yields from 2-bromo- or chloroanilide in the presence of a base and a novel palladium imidazol-2-ylidene complex, through a process of metal-catalyzed intramolecular arylation of amide enolates. A wide range of substrates, including electron rich aryl chlorides, were found active under the catalysis of this non-phosphinic, easily prepared ligand–metal system.