Palladium-Catalyzed Alkoxycarbonylation of Alcohols for the Synthesis of Cyclobutanecarboxylates with α-Quaternary Carbon Centers

A palladium-catalyzed alkoxycarbonylation with two different alcohols for the synthesis of cyclobutanecarboxylates bearing an α-quaternary carbon center is presented. The reaction utilizes readily accessible starting materials, tolerates a broad scope of functional groups, and provides a straightforward and efficient approach for the synthesis of a diverse array of cyclobutanecarboxylates bearing an α-quaternary carbon. Meanwhile, this strategy effectively prevents the transition-metal-catalyzed ring-opening of cyclobutanols, preserves the cyclobutane framework, and affords 1,1-disubstituted cyclobutanecarboxylates in high yields with excellent regioisomeric ratios.