Regioselective iron-catalyzed decarboxylative allylic etherification.

An anionic iron complex catalyzes the decarboxylative allylation of phenols to form allylic ethers in high yield. The allylation is regioselective rather than regiospecific. This suggests that the allylation proceeds through pi-allyl iron intermediates in contrast to related allylations of carbon nucleophiles that have been proposed to proceed via sigma-allyl complexes. Ultimately, iron catalysts have the potential to replace more expensive palladium catalysts that are typically utilized for decarboxylative couplings.