The long-range deconjugative isomerization of a broad range of α,β-unsaturated amides, esters, and ketones by an in situ generated palladium hydride catalyst is described. This redox-economical process is triggered by a hydrometalation event and is thermodynamically driven by the refunctionalization of a primary or a secondary alcohol into an aldehyde or a ketone. Di-, tri-, and tetrasubstituted carbon-carbon double bonds react with similar efficiency; the system is tolerant toward a variety of functional groups, and olefin migration can be sustained over 30 carbon atoms. The refunctionalized products are usually isolated in good to excellent yield. Mechanistic investigations are in support of a chain-walking process consisting of repeated migratory insertions and β-H eliminations. The bidirectionality of the isomerization reaction was established by isotopic labeling experiments using a substrate with a double bond isolated from both terminal functions. The palladium hydride was also found to be directly involved in the product-forming tautomerization step. The ambiphilic character of the in situ generated [Pd-H] was demonstrated using isomeric trisubstituted α,β-unsaturated esters. Finally, the high levels of enantioselectivity obtained in the isomerization of a small set of α-substituted α,β-unsaturated ketones augur well for the successful development of an enantioselective version of this unconventional isomerization.

Herein we report the palladium-catalyzed isomerization of highly substituted allylic alcohols and alkenyl alcohols by means of a single catalytic system. The operationally simple reaction protocol is applicable to a broad range of substrates and displays a wide functional group tolerance, and the products are usually isolated in high chemical yield. Experimental and computational mechanistic investigations provide complementary and converging evidence for a chain-walking process consisting of repeated migratory insertion/β-H elimination sequences. Interestingly, the catalyst does not dissociate from the substrate in the isomerization of allylic alcohols, whereas it disengages during the isomerization of alkenyl alcohols when additional substituents are present on the alkyl chain.

The addition of p-allylmetal complexes to carbonyls is the most important route to homoallylic alcohols. This study reports the first photocatalytic generation of p-allyltitanium complexes by a radical strategy. This novel strategy enables the three-component allylation of carbonyls with 1,3-butadiene, providing rapid access to valuable homoallylic alcohols (over 60 examples). The exceptional regio-and diastereoselectivity provided by dual photoredox/Ti catalysis is comparable to that of the Cr-catalyzed Nozaki-Hiyama-Kishi allylation reaction.

Reported is an achiral Cp Rh /chiral carboxylic acid catalyzed asymmetric C-H alkylation of diarylmethanamines with a diazomalonate, followed by cyclization and decarboxylation to afford 1,4-dihydroisoquinolin-3(2H)-one. Secondary alkylamines as well as nonprotected primary alkylamines underwent the transformation with high enantioselectivities (up to 98.5:1.5 e.r.) by using a newly developed chiral carboxylic acid as the sole source of chirality to achieve enantioselective C-H cleavage by a concerted metalation-deprotonation mechanism.