Ruthenium complex-catalyzed allylic alkylation of carbonucleophiles with allylic carbonates

Allylic carbonates except for allyl methyl carbonate reacted with carbonucleophiles such as ethyl acetoacetate in the presence of a catalytic amount of Ru(cod)(cot) [cod = cycloocta-1,5-diene, COT = cycloocta-1,3,5-triene] in N-methylpiperidine at 80°C to give the corresponding monoallylated carbonucleophiles in high yields with high regioselectivity. The regioselectivity was quite different from that in the palladium-catalyzed reactions. The allylation of carbonucleophiles using allyl methyl carbonate selectively gave the diallylated carbonucleophiles in high yields.