, where X = H, Me and OMe. To a 50-mL of round-bottom flask equipped with a strirring bar were added free-base H2[X-AHP] (0.092 mmol), palladium(II) acetate (3 equiv), and pyridine (10 mL). The mixture was heated at 100 °C under stirring for 3h, in the course of which the purple color of the starting material was gradually replaced by the deep green color of the Pd complex. The reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature and the solvent removed by rotary evaporation. The crude product thus obtained was subjected to column chromatography on a silica gel colunm and 2:1 (v/v) n-column chromatography on a silica gel colunm and 3:2 (v/v) n-hexane/dichloromethane as the mobile phase, resulting in the desired yellowish-green product in 64 to 67 % yield.