Hiroki Kondo, Feng Yu, Junichiro Yamaguchi, Guosheng Liu, and Kenichiro Itami

Org. Lett. 2014, ASAP. DOI: 10.1021/ol5019135

 A ligand-controlled branch-selective allylic C− H carboxylation through Pd catalysis is described. Thedeveloped catalytic system, which consists of Pd(OAc)2 ,sulfoxide−oxazoline (sox) as a ligand and benzoquinone as an oxidant, couples terminal alkenes and carboxylic acids to furnish the corresponding branched allylic esters with high regioselectivity.