Decarboxylative alkylation of alkenes

. Here we report a formal regio- and diastereoselective C-H alkylation of alkenes with carboxylic acids as alkyl source, readily available in large diversity. Key to the development is a polar decarboxylative alkylation that deviates from the current model of radical-mediated C-C bond formation from carboxylic acid derivatives, enabled by a previously unappreciated access to persistent alkylzinc intermediates from redox-active esters. A Pd-catalysed cross-coupling of the alkylzinc species with alkenyl thianthrenium salts accessed from alkenes affords the substituted alkenes in high diastereoselectivity. The transformation offers alkylation of cyclic, acyclic, terminal, internal, mono-substituted, di-substituted and tri-substituted alkenes with diverse alkyl groups.