Intramolecular Heck Reactions of Cyclic Sulfonamides: Regiochemical Trends and Reductive Cleavage

The synthesis of a new class of cyclic sulfonamides (sultams) and their subsequent conversion into substituted N‐heterocycles is reported. Methyl‐substituted tetrahydropyridine and tetrahydro‐azepine Heck precursors are prepared and cyclized to provide a variety of regioisomeric products. Thereafter, the cyclic sulfonamide products are subjected to sulfonyl cleavage to provide several novel phenyl‐substituted N‐heterocycles, each containing functional groups useful for further functionalization.