Palladium-catalyzed regiocontrolled internal heteroarylation of electron-rich olefins with heteroaryl halides

A highly efficient palladium-catalyzed Heck coupling reaction of heteroaryl halides with electron-rich vinyl ether and hydroxyalkyl vinyl ethers is described. It was found that the choice of solvent, ligand, and reaction temperature had a fundamental influence on the regioselectivity and reactivity of the reaction, and the combination of Pd(OAc)2 and DPPF in ethylene glycol led to the most effective catalytic system. Under these conditions, a variety of heteroaryl halides reacted very quickly with electron-rich olefins to afford exclusively the branched products in good to excellent yields without employing triflates, halide scavengers, or ionic liquids.