Palladium Iodide Catalyzed Carbonylative Synthesis of Heterocycles

In this Keynote, I will present the recent achievements realized by my research group in the catalytic synthesis of heterocyclic derivatives by palladium-iodide promoted carbonylation processes. It will be shown how a simple catalytic system, consisting of PdI2 in conjunction with an excess of KI and in the absence of additional ligands, is able to promote a plethora of carbonylation reactions, including oxidative and substitutive carbonylations. Starting from CO and simple organic substrates (functionalized alkynes, in particular) as building blocks, these processes have allowed obtaining carbonylated heterocycles in one single synthetic step under relatively mild reaction conditions.