Serendipitous and expedite transformation of 1-aryl-
and 2-aryl-1,2-dihydro-3H-indazol-3-ones to 1,2-di(hetero)aryl-
and 2,3-di(hetero)aryl-2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-ones, respectively, was achieved in high efficiency by
reacting them with aldehydic N-tosylhydrazones. The
protocol proceeded through a cascade process involving base-mediated
Pd-carbenoid generation by the decomposition of N-tosylhydrazones, nucleophilic attack of indazolone on the Pd-carbenoid
complex, and intramolecular ring expansion via N–N bond cleavage.
The utility of the strategy is demonstrated toward the synthesis of
bioactive NPS 53574, a calcium receptor antagonist.