Palladium-catalyzed highly regioselective and stereoselective decarboxylative arylation of unactivated olefins with aryl carboxylic acids

Palladium(II)-catalyzed highly regioselective and stereoselective decarboxylative arylation of unactivated olefins with aryl carboxylic acids has been developed. This method is applicable to a variety of unactivated olefins, including allylamides, long chain functionalized olefins and purely aliphatic olefins, leads to the formation of linear E-configured products in high yields. Both electron-rich and electron-deficient aryl carboxylic acids are suitable arylation reagents. It was found that the choice of solvent, catalyst precursor and oxidant had an important influence on reaction efficiency. As a co-solvent and ligand, DMSO is critical to catalysis. This chemistry expands the scope of decarboxylative arylation of olefins with aryl carboxylic acids, and provides a rapid access to useful linear arylation products of unactivated olefins.