N‑Heterocyclic carbene dichotomy in Pd-catalyzed acylation of aryl chlorides via C-H bond functionalization

The first Pd-catalyzed intramolecular acylation of aryl chlorides via C-H bond functionalization is presented. The method allows for the synthesis of a variety of elusive benzocyclobutenones with a wide range of functional groups and substitution patterns. We demonstrate that a change in the ligand backbone dictates the selectivity pattern.