# Divergent Access to α,β-Unsaturated Thiolated and Selenolated Lactams via a Unified Palladium-Catalyzed Carbonylative Transformation

## TL;DR

A new method uses palladium to create lactam compounds with sulfur or selenium groups in one step.

## Contribution

A unified palladium-catalyzed method for synthesizing thiolated and selenolated lactams from propargylamines.

## Key findings

- Lactam core and sulfur/selenium groups are formed simultaneously under CO atmosphere.
- Moderate to good yields achieved with functional group tolerance.
- Propargylamine substrates with disulfide or diselenide reagents were successfully used.

## Abstract

Herein, a unified and divergent palladium-catalyzed carbonylative
procedure for the direct synthesis of α,β-unsaturated
thiolated and selenolated lactams is reported. This strategy enables
the simultaneous construction of the lactam core and installation
of valuable sulfur or selenium functionalities via a single catalytic
operation. By employing simple propargylamine substrates together
with diphenyl disulfide or diselenide under a carbon monoxide atmosphere,
the corresponding lactams were formed in moderate to good yields with
promising functional group tolerance.