Silver-Catalyzed Decarboxylative Allylation of Aliphatic Carboxylic Acids in Aqueous Solution

Direct decarboxylative radical allylation of aliphatic carboxylic acids is described. With K 2 S 2 O 8 as the oxidant and AgNO 3 as the catalyst, the reactions of aliphatic carboxylic acids with allyl sulfones in aqueous CH 3 CN solution gave the corresponding alkenes in satisfactory yields under mild conditions. This site-specific allylation method is applicable to all primary, secondary, and tertiary alkyl acids and exhibits wide functional group compatibility.