“…Benzannulation is preferable due to the likely reduction of reaction steps and better control of regiochemical outcomes. The vast majority of benzannulation approaches involve [4+2], [4] [2+2+2], [5] [3+3], [6] and [6+4] [7] cycloadditions, ring-closing metatheses, [8] Danheiser annulations, [9] transition-metal-promoted processes, [10] and base-induced rearrangements.[11] Many of these methods have serious limitations that reduce their scope and applications, including: 1) the requirement of an additional oxidation step (usually 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone, DDQ) to form the final aromatic ring; 2) the use of highly functionalized precursors that are challenging or not straightforward to access; and 3) the employment of highly air-or moisture-sensitive precursors. Therefore, methods involving readilyaccessible, stable precursors that directly convert to the desired benzo-fused products remain an important synthetic endeavor.…”