Palladium-Catalyzed Multicomponent Carbonylation of Halides to Acylhydrazones

The current methods for synthesizing acylhydrazones are limited by their multistep processes, narrow substrate scope, low selectivities, and poor yields. Herein, a fundamentally novel approach to bioactive acylhydrazones was developed based on the palladium-catalyzed multicomponent tandem condensation carbonylation of halides with aldehydes and hydrazines. This method provides a useful and efficient strategy for generating grams of various acylhydrazones in a one-pot manner. Mechanistic studies provided evidence of facile carbonylation of halides with the weak nucleophile hydrazones facilitated by a base.