Indium and zinc-mediated Barbier-type addition reaction of 2,3-allenals with allyl bromide: an efficient synthesis of 1,5,6-alkatrien-4-ols.

A zinc or indium-mediated Barbier-type addition reaction of 2,3-allenals with allyl bromide in a mixed medium of aqueous NH(4)Cl and THF (5:2) was developed to provide an efficient route to 1,5,6-alkatrien-4-ols, which is synthetically very useful. No 1,4-addition reaction was observed. Depending on the substrates, both indium and activated zinc afforded the 1,2-addition products in moderate to excellent yields: for terminal allenals, activated zinc was better while in other cases the yields with indium were relatively higher.