Successive copper(I)-catalyzed cross-couplings in one pot: a novel and efficient starting point for synthesis of carbapenems

An efficient approach for synthesizing a series of 2-sulfide carbapenems has been developed using two successive Cu(I)-catalyzed cross-couplings in a single pot. The method involves highly selective intramolecular coupling of lactam and dihaloalkene using 2,2'-bipyridine as a ligand, followed by intermolecular C-S formation in the presence of another ligand (1,10-phenanthroline, PPh 3) and mercaptan.