Palladium-catalyzed enantioselective Heck alkenylation of acyclic alkenols using a redox-relay strategy.

We report a highly enantioselective intermolecular Heck reaction of alkenyl triflates and acyclic primary or racemic secondary alkenols. The mild reaction conditions permit installation of a wide range of alkenyl groups at positions β, γ, or δ to a carbonyl group in high enantioselectivity. The success of this reaction is attributed to the use of electron-withdrawing alkenyl triflates, which offer selective β-hydride elimination followed by migration of the catalyst through the alkyl chain to give the alkenylated carbonyl products. The synthetic utility of the process is demonstrated by a two-step modification of a reaction product to yield a tricyclic core structure, present in various natural products.