Regioselective Synthesis of α-Vinyl Boronates via a Pd-Catalyzed Mizoroki–Heck Reaction

We report a palladium-catalyzed synthesis of α-vinyl boronates via a regioselective Mizoroki–Heck reaction between aryl triflates and vinyl boronates. This selectivity is achieved by the use of a 1,5-diaza-3,7-diphosphacyclooctane (P 2 N 2 ) ligand, which results in minimal formation of the more commonly observed (linear) β-product. The choice of base, solvent, and presence of water are shown to be critical for controlling this outcome, with organic bases, nonpolar solvents, and anhydrous conditions favoring the Heck product and suppressing the competitive Suzuki−Miyaura coupling product.