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Updated: Mar 1, 2026

Facile Preparation of 2Z,4E-Dienamides by the Olefination of Electron-deficient Alkenes with Allyl Acetate
Published on: June 21, 2017
Enantioselective CuH-Catalyzed Hydroacylation Employing Unsaturated Carboxylic Acids as Aldehyde Surrogates
Yujing Zhou1, Jeffrey S Bandar1, Stephen L Buchwald1
1Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States.
Abstract:
The direct asymmetric copper hydride (CuH)-catalyzed coupling of α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acids to aryl alkenes to access chiral α-aryl dialkyl ketones is reported. A variety of substrate substitution patterns, sensitive functional groups, and heterocycles are tolerated in this reaction, which significantly expands the range of accessible products compared with existing hydroacylation methodology. Although mechanistic studies are ongoing, we propose that CuH-catalyzed silylation of unsaturated acids occurs to access a uniquely effective acyl electrophilic coupling partner.
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