Abstract The synthesis of the N-cyano benzo [b] carbazolequinone with the structure proposed for prekinamycin has been achieved by palladium and copper catalyzed coupling of a 2-bromonaphthoquinone with an arylstannane followed by ring closure, N-cyanation, and demethylation. Unexpectedly, the ring closure reaction gave also a regioisomer by an unprecedented rearrangement reaction.
