Rhodium or palladium-catalyzed cascade aryl addition/intramolecular lactonization of phthalaldehydonitrile to access 3-aryl and 3-alkenyl phthalides

A rhodium or palladium-catalyzed addition of boronic acids to phthalaldehydonitrile, followed by an intramolecular lactonization of cyano to access 3-substituted phthalides, is described. This procedure tolerates a series of functional groups, such as methoxy, fluoro, chloro, and vinyl groups. It is a novel procedure for the synthesis of 3-arylphthalides.