Nickel-Catalyzed Insertion of Alkynes and Electron-Deficient Olefins into Unactivated sp(3) C-H Bonds.

Insertion of unsaturated systems such as alkynes and olefins into unactivated sp(3) C-H bonds remains an unexplored problem. We herein address this issue by successfully incorporating a wide variety of functionalized alkynes and electron-deficient olefins into the unactivated sp(3) C-H bond of pivalic acid derivatives with excellent syn- and linear- selectivity. A strongly chelating 8-aminoquinoline directing group proved beneficial for these insertion reactions, while an air-stable and inexpensive Ni(II) salt has been employed as the active catalyst.