Radical additions to allyl bromides. A synthetically useful, ‘Tin-Free’ method for carbon–carbon bond formation

The scope and limitations of a novel free radical chain process involving the addition of benzyl radicals to substituted allyl bromides were examined and extended to explore the effect of α-substitution on the allyl bromide (R′), and the use of pyrrolidine amides and oxazolidinone as activating substituents (Z) as the first steps toward the development of a stereoselective, radical-based C–C bond-forming reaction which is environmentally benign.