New chemical cross-coupling between aryl halides and allylic acetates using a cobalt catalyst.

[reaction: see text] The cobalt-catalyzed coupling reaction of aromatic halides and allylic acetates proceeds readily under mild conditions in the presence of the appropriate reducing agent to produce allylaromatic derivatives either in pure acetonitrile (aryl bromides) or in an acetonitrile/pyridine mixture (aryl chlorides).