Addition of heteroaromatics to alkylidenecyclopropanes catalyzed by palladium

The reaction of heteroaromatics, such as furans, thiophenes, thiazoles, and pyrroles, with alkylidenecyclopropanes proceeded smoothly in the presence of palladium catalysts, producing the corresponding α-allylated products in good to high yields. For example, the reaction of 3-butylpentylidenecyclopropane (1a) with 2-methylfuran (2a), ethyl 2-thiophenecarboxylate (4a), 2-isobutylthiazole (6a), and 1-methylpyrrole (11b) gave the α-allylated products in 70%, 66%, 77%, and 30% yield, respectively. The reaction proceeded predominantly through distal bond cleavage. The order of reactivity of heteroaromatics toward 1a is as follows: furan > thiophene ≈ thiazole (5-position) > thiazole (2-position) ≈ pyrrole. This methodology provides a means for introducing an allylic group to various kinds of heteroaromatics under mild conditions.