Nickel-catalyzed tandem reactions of 3-(2-hydroxy-phenyl)-acrylic acids 1 with 2-bromo-benzenethiols 4, each involving cyclic esterification/C–S bond formation^a.

Entry	R	R2	3	Yieldb
1	H	H		73
2	4-CH3O	H		69
3	5-Cl	H		75
4	4,5-diCH3	H		64
5	4,5-diCH3O	H		60
6	4,5-diCH3O	Naphthyl		52

^aUnless otherwise noted, reaction conditions were 1 (0.5 mmol), 3 (0.6 mmol), Ni(CO)₄ (10 mol%), NaOEt (2 equiv.), DMSO (5 mL), 90 °C, and a reaction time of 10 h.

^bIsolated yield.