Palladium-catalyzed insertion of alpha-diazoesters into vinyl halides to generate alpha,beta-unsaturated gamma-amino esters.

As easy as 1, 2, 3: A palladium-catalyzed three-component coupling generates alpha,beta-unsaturated gamma-amino acids in a single step (see scheme). The reaction is believed to involve migration of a vinyl substituent to a highly electrophilic palladium carbene. Unlike previous synthetic approaches, this synthesis provides access to gamma-amino acids with non-natural side chains.