Regioselective Palladium-Catalyzed Decarboxylative Cross-Coupling Reaction of Alkenyl Acids with Coumarins: Synthesis of 3-Styrylcoumarin Compounds

A novel and efficient protocol for the regioselective synthesis of 3-styrylcoumarins from readily available cinnamic acids and coumarins is presented. The reaction proceeds via a decarboxylative cross-coupling mediated by a catalytic amount of Pd(OAc)2, with Ag2CO3 as an oxidant, and with 1,10-phenanthroline as a ligand. A plausible reaction mechanism for this process is depicted, and the resulting 3-styrylcoumarins show excellent fluorescence quantum yields.