Synthesis of a dicyclobutylideneethane derivative via sequential palladium-catalyzed Miyaura borylation and Suzuki coupling

An efficient synthesis of a dicyclobutylideneethane derivative was achieved using a palladium-catalyzed reaction of a substituted (bromomethylene)cyclobutane with bis(pinacolato)diboron. The reaction mechanism was investigated in detail. The Suzuki cross-coupling reaction of a (bromomethylene)cyclobutane with arylboronic acid was also achieved.