Rh( <scp>ii</scp> )-catalyzed and Cu( <scp>i</scp> )-mediated synthesis of furopyridones using <i>N</i> -substituted pyridones and diazonaphthoquinones: applications in photophysical studies

An efficient one-pot synthesis of furopyridones has been developed <i>via</i> Rh(II)-catalyzed C5-H arylation of 2-pyridones with diazonaphthoquinones, followed by Cu(I)-mediated oxidative C-O bond formation at the C6 position. The method is simple and has a wide scope. Control experiments and DFT calculations indicate that the C5-H arylation proceeds <i>via</i> the formation of a quinoid carbene intermediate. The synthesized furopyridones were screened for promising photophysical properties.