Catalytic radical generation of π-allylpalladium complexes

Transition metal catalysed allylic substitution is one of the most powerful and frequently used methods in organic synthesis. In particular, palladium-catalysed allylic functionalization has become a well-established strategy for constructing carbon-carbon or carbon-heteroatom bonds, and its utility has been demonstrated in natural product synthesis, drug discovery and materials science. Several methods have been developed to generate pi-allylpalladium complexes through ionic mechanisms; however, these methods typically require either prefunctionalized starting materials or stoichiometric oxidants, which naturally limits their scope. Here, we show a radical approach for the generation of pi-allylpalladium complexes by employing N-hydroxyphthalimide esters as bifunctional reagents in combination with 1,3-dienes. Using this strategy, we report the 1,4-aminoalkylation of dienes. The remarkable scope and functional group tolerance of this redox-neutral and mild protocol was demonstrated across >60 examples. The utility of this strategy was further demonstrated in radical cascade reactions and in the late-stage modification of drugs and natural products.