Ligand-controlled, tunable palladium-catalyzed carbonylation of thianthrenium salts and formic acids.

We report a ligand-controlled palladium-catalyzed carbonylation of thianthrenium salts employing HCOOH or DCOOD as a CO source. This divergent method enables the synthesis of (deuterated) aromatic aldehydes, aromatic or alkenyl carboxylic acids, and aromatic esters in good yields. It enables the synthesis of medicinally relevant molecules and late-stage functionalization of biorelevant compounds.