A palladium-catalyzed ligand controlled regioselective coupling reaction of secondary propargyl carbonates and ethyl 2-(pyridin-2-yl)acetate derivatives has been described, leading to C-3 benzylated indolizines for the first time in moderate to good yields. DBFphos as the ligand is crucial to this high regioselective annulation reaction, and a plausible reaction mechanism has been proposed.
Key words
regioselective coupling - propargyl carbonate - C-3 benzylated indolizine - DBFphos - synthetic method