Synthesis of Quaternary and Tertiary Carbon-Substituted Arenes by Lewis Base Promoted Site-Selective Coupling with Allylic Nucleophiles.

A practical method for the preparation of quaternary and tertiary allyl-substituted heteroarenes by site-selective couplings of heteroaryl nitriles and allylic nucleophiles is disclosed. Transformations utilize readily accessible stable reagents, proceed in the presence of a Lewis base activator, and undergo aryl-C(sp ) quaternary and tertiary carbon formation with high γ-selectivity (up to >98 : 2 γ : α).