Carbonyl 1,2-transposition through triflate-mediated α-amination

Careful choreography for a ketone shift Chemists devote tremendous effort to the precise placement of oxygens in molecular frameworks. Wu et al . report a convenient method to shift the oxygen in a carbonyl group to an adjacent carbon center. After activation of the oxygen to an alkenyl triflate, cooperative catalysis by palladium and norbornene adds nitrogen to the neighboring carbon while displacing the triflate with hydride. Hydrolysis then produces the desired shifted ketone. The protocol is well suited to late-stage variation of complex molecules during drug optimization. —JSY