Ir-catalyzed distal branch- and enantioselective hydroarylation of internal alkenes using acetanilides via chain-walking and CH activation

This study presents the iridium-catalyzed branch- and enantioselective CH alkylation of acetanilides with internal alkenes via chain-walking. This report addresses a key challenge in the selective CC bond formation by using a newly developed electron-deficient TADDOL-based chiral ligand and we achieved an optimal balance between yield and enantiomeric ratio (up to 91:9 er). The use of 1.5 equivalent amounts of [Ir(cod)₂]NTf₂ relative to chiral ligands significantly improved the yields along with perfect regioselectivity and good enantioselectivity. The substrate scope demonstrated the broad applicability of the method across various acetanilide and alkene derivatives, including functionalized arenes and alkenes bearing aryl or aliphatic substituents.