Fast and Regioselective Heck Couplings with N-Acyl-N-vinylamine Derivatives

Highly regioselective Heck couplings of aryl triflates with N-acyl-N-vinylamines lacking an N-alkyl substituent were achieved with reaction times of approximately 1 h in yields ranging from 62 to 98% using 1.5 mol % of Pd₂(dba)₃, 3 mol % of DPPF, and diethylisopropylamine in dioxane. The efficiency of these cross-couplings were studied with several N-vinylamides and an example each of an N-vinylcarbamate and an N-vinylurea. The Heck coupling products easily underwent acidic hydrolysis to the corresponding aryl methyl ketone or in situ hydrogenation in the presence of (Ph₃P)₃RhCl under a hydrogen atmosphere to provide the N-acyl derivatives of pharmaceutically relevant benzylic amines. The coupling of a vinyl triflate and more interestingly a vinyl tosylate to N-vinyl acetamide was also studied affording a 2-acylamino-1,3-butadiene with the same high regioselectivity in preference for the α-isomer. This result suggests that Heck couplings of electron-rich alkenes with vinyl tosylates also follow a cationic pathway.