Access to sultams by rhodium(III)-catalyzed directed C-H activation.

Director's cut: The pharmaceutically relevant sulfonamide group is shown to be a competent directing group for [CpRh(OAc)(2)]-catalyzed C-H functionalizations. Reactions of the cyclometalated intermediate with internal alkynes provide access to a wide range of sultam derivatives. The reaction is high yielding and works best under aerobic conditions with catalytic amounts of CuOAc as an oxidation mediator. Cp = C(5)Me(5).