Chemoselective Synthesis of Z‐Olefins through Rh‐Catalyzed Formate‐Mediated 1,6‐Reduction

Abstract

AbstractZ‐olefins are important functional units in synthetic chemistry; their preparation has thus received considerable attention. Many prevailing methods for cis‐olefination are complicated by the presence of multiple unsaturated units or electrophilic functional groups. In this study, Z‐olefins are delivered through selective reduction of activated dienes using formic acid. The reaction proceeds with high regio‐ and stereoselectivity (typically >90:10 and >95:5, respectively) and preserves other alkenyl, alkynyl, protic, and electrophilic groups.