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Updated: May 10, 2026

Facile Preparation of (2Z,4E)-Dienamides by the Olefination of Electron-deficient Alkenes with Allyl Acetate
Published on: June 21, 2017
Iridium-catalyzed, intermolecular hydroetherification of unactivated aliphatic alkenes with phenols
Christo S Sevov1, John F Hartwig
1Division of Chemical Sciences, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley , California 94720, United States.
Abstract:
Metal-catalyzed addition of an O-H bond to an alkene is a desirable process because it allows for rapid access to ethers from abundant starting materials without the formation of waste, without rearrangements, and with the possibility to control the stereoselectivity. We report the intermolecular, metal-catalyzed addition of phenols to unactivated α-olefins. Mechanistic studies of this rare catalytic reaction revealed a dynamic mixture of resting states that undergo O-H bond oxidative addition and subsequent olefin insertion to form ether products.
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