Palladium-Catalyzed Intramolecular <i>meta</i> -C–H Arylation Assisted by Nitrile Templates Under Microwave-Accelerated Conditions Accessing Fluorene Frameworks

Although intermolecular <i>meta</i>-C-H arylation has been thoroughly studied and well established, the intramolecular version of <i>meta</i>-C-H arylation is still largely unexplored and offers exciting opportunities for future research. With these considerations, we describe a palladium-catalyzed intramolecular <i>meta</i>-C-H arylation of 3-(4-benzylphenyl)propanoates, enabled by both aliphatic and aromatic nitrile templates under microwave-assisted conditions. This approach provides an efficient alternative pathway to fluorene frameworks via template-directed <i>meta</i>-C-H arylation. The method afforded fluorene derivatives exclusively in good to excellent yields. Additionally, postsynthetic modifications are used to access cyclopenta[<i>b</i>]fluorenones.