Direct synthesis of 8-acylated quinoline N-oxides via palladium-catalyzed selective C–H activation and C(sp 2 )–C(sp 2 ) cleavage

An efficient method for the synthesis of 8-acylated quinoline N-oxides from the reaction of quinoline N-oxides with α-diketones via C–C bond cleavage was developed. A variety of quinoline N-oxides and α-diketones with different groups was well tolerated in this system.