Amine-Controlled Divergent Reaction: Iminolactonization and Olefination in the Presence of a Cu(I) Catalyst.

α-Bromoamides and styrenes underwent iminolactonization reactions (carbooxygenation), in which simultaneous C-C and C-O formation occurred in the presence of a copper catalyst with triethylamine as the base. Conversely, olefination reactions occurred in the presence of a Cu catalyst with piperidine as the base. The selectivities in those reactions were very high.

General and facile method for exo-methlyene synthesis via regioselective C-C double-bond formation using a copper-amine catalyst system.

In this study, for distal-selective ß-hydride elimination to produce exomethylene compounds with a newly formed Csp(3)-Csp(3) bond between tertiary alkyl halides and α-alkylated styrenes, a combination of a Cu(I) salt and a pyridine-based amine ligand (TPMA) is found to be a very efficient catalyst system. The yields and regioselectivities were high, and the regioselectivity was found to be dependent on the structure of the alkyl halide, with bulky alkyl halides showing the highest distal selectivities.