Recently, Trost and Yamamoto have developed new methods affording two new carbon–carbon bonds successively at the β- and α-positions of Michael acceptors via the amphiphilic reaction of activated olefins and bis-π-allylpalladium complex (or its unsymmetric and functionalized derivative) (route b, Scheme 1). 2 These results encouraged us to study highly regiospecific carbon–carbon bond formation at the α-position of activated olefins (route c, Scheme 1). 3 ...
