COBALT-CATALYZED CYCLOCARBONYLATION OF ACETYLENES UNDER WATER GAS SHIFT CONDITIONS - SELECTIVE SYNTHESIS OF INDAN-1-ONES

Carbonylation of phenylacetylene derivatives by a cobalt catalyst under water gas shift conditions afforded 2-substituted indan-1-ones in satisfactory yields. Addition of phosphines enhanced both the activity and the selectivity of the catalyst. The deuterium-labeling studies showed that the migration of the ortho hydrogen of the phenyl group to the acetylenic carbon adjacent to the phenyl group took place in the cyclocarbonylation.